#but it’s pink and soft and has little pom-poms and it makes me happy

[dogcollarpunk]

Hot water bottles are the best btw. Hot water bottle my friend, my dearest companion.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

Sept 2021 Wk 4

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Bite Me Ep 4 (Viu & Viki) - people always talk about how much time and patience it takes to make Thai deserts and I think maybe this show is trying to teach us all that life lesson. I’m still loving the quiet pace of it but I’m sure many are finding it dull as dishwater. The leads are good, even though they’re not being given much to work with (script, what script?) they sure seem sweet on each other. 

Don’t Say No Ep 8 (Line) - having decided that this is basically MAME fanficcing all over herself, I decided this week that this show is ALSO a soap opera, and now I don’t mind anything about anything anymore. The recaps continue apace, and I got pun happy and made up some silly BL soap opera titles. 

7 Project Ep 4 (miss-labeled ep 3 on YouTube ) Once Upon A Time (iQiYi & YouTube) - BounPrem showing us why they are one of the most popular Thai acting pairs, they do LTR beautifully. This installment hurt a lot. Too close to home for any queer who has struggled to come out, been/dated a closet case, and/or went for overachievement and perfection in other parts of life to compensate for the perceived “weakness” of being gay. Which is... oh let me guess... why yes: ALL OF US. Mek makes the right call, and we all know it, but it was real hard to watch. While this one felt like the most cohesive vignette in this series, I still felt taxed by it. Honestly, why does Thailand struggle so much with short form when Strongberry can give us an entire cohesive story in two 7 minute installments? Bah, I’m frustrated. 7 Project is upsetting me. I’m having negative feels, okay? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Peach of Time Ep 8, 9 (WeTV & Viki not USA, I’m finding it on DM) - so many BL tropes this time around (hair dry etc) that I have to conclude this show is falling solidly into the BL genre (despite the inevitable ending, remember HEA is not guaranteed with BL). I doubted it at first. Silly me. It really is adorable but quite sad. Did I cry? Yes I did. I have to say YoonOh has grown on me, the actor is really good and it’s a nice contrast to Peach’s softness. (Did you notice Peach uses chan instead of pom with YoonOh? Fascinating.)  I’m starting to pipe dream other combos. Anyone know if Mew or Saint speak Mandarin? Imagine what either one of those boys might get up to in Taiwan... just saying. 

- Friend or Lover (YouTube) Ep 6 - still waiting on the final of this Taiwanese indie series.

Love is Science? (BL sub plot Viki) Ep 14 - still not subbed on Viki so I’ll review it next week. 

Love Is the series (YouTube) Ep 4 - it’s fine for a V-BL, not wowing me but not scaring me by going off the rails the way some have. 

See You After Quarantine? (Viki) Ep 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 - this Japan/Taiwan crossover BL is set during C19 and is their answer to Gameboys and IT’S GREAT. I’m calling it for Taiwan since it just *feels* more like a Taiwanese piece. It’s truly adorable, light weight, and VERY queer. I adore it. 

The Tasty Florida (Viki) Ep 1 & 2 - Korean BL staring Yoo Hwan of SPEED in an 8 episode run of less than 10 minutes each (we back to Korea being a short arse). Hitting us RIGHT off the bat (TS 1.20) with both a rescue and a crash into me trope. We got us a country mouse foundation and an innocent little floppy-haired cutie with an inclination to voiceover, HaeWon. The 4 rooftop pink-shirts are all different yet perfectly K-pop hot and I’m getting Boys Over Flowers vibes. It’s cool, and very relaxed for a Koren BL (which often feel stiff). More To My Star than Light On Me. I like everything about this show but the perilla oil (I love most vegetables but shiso/perilla leaf, nope.) Also, bonus we got us an out bisexual Harold, thus I predict Second Lead syndrome for me! WEEEEEEE!  

In Case You Missed It

Korean queer studio Strongberry dropped the second chapter of their micro series A First Love Story Ep.2. It’s so so so good. We do not deserve them. 

Chapter of Green is a new Thai BL airing on TikTok (the way that Starhunter one did - what was it called? - Roommates, or something). Anygay I don’t tok the tik so all ya’ll are on your own with this puppy. No MDL listing. Started Sept 17 and drops new eps every Mon, Weds, Fri.

GOSSIP! 

Between Us has supposedly started filming. Tumblr caught fire over Boun posting to his insta (or something) a photo of the Win wings tattoo on his back once again. There was also supposedly a Between Us LIVE on Sept. 21st. Between Us (based on the y-novel Hemp Rope) is the Thai BL follow up to Until We Meet Again. 

GMMTV seems to have also started filming Enchante. This is a little sad because we all though Bad Buddy or Not Me was next, but I’m still excited about this BL and happy to see new leads. 

We might be getting a season 2 of Korean BL To My Star (thanks for the tip, Sarge). This is one of my few 10/10 rated BLs, so it makes me nervous. Why mess with perfection? But I do love this pair. So, yes please but also DON’T FUCK IT UP. 

There is a new Laotian BL coming called 7 Days 7 Boys, it will be on Tara Academy’s YouTube channel. 

KinnPorsche more info. 

New Japanese BL coming too: Vanishing My First Love AKA Kieta Hatsukoi (also The First Love That Disappeared, My Love Mix-Up! look Japanese BL does this with titles). This is adapted of a manga and features a bisexual main character with a male/male\female love triangle (not sure if it’s real or faen fatale). Starts airing October 9 on TV Asahi, but it has not yet been picked up for international distribution. (If it doesn’t we will have to wait for indie subs... makes big pleading eyes at Mitch of irozuku.org) LOOK AT THE PRETTY: 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International subs accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

This week’s best moments?

[devil-in-those-eyes]

Joke Part 2- Mat Barzal

Okay, I really didn’t think there would many people who wanted a part two, but if it’s wanted, there might be a part three. I hope you guys enjoy.

Warnings: None? Maybe swearing? I wrote the first half months ago, so my memory if foggy.

~

           “You’re leaving… already?” Jesse and Tito exclaimed together, not missing a beat as you slid you chair back from the brunch table and finishing the last bit of your coffee.

           “Not all of us can laze around on Sunday’s.” You answered with a smile, pulling your coat on and grabbing your purse.

           Everyone let out grunts and groans that sounded close to displease, but you shook your head and rolled your eyes. You waved goodbye to your friends and smiled at Jesse as he tilted his head back to grin at you as you passed but what, or who, caught your eye was sitting to his left.

           Mat sat with his back leaned into the chair, looking the most relaxed out of everyone with one hand in his lap and the other around the black mug of coffee. Dressed in a dark grey sleeve and black jeans, he looked delicious with his hair getting more unruly as the days went on, leaving his scruff and giving you butterflies the whole time.

           Mat looked up from his mug and at you, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. You mumbled a goodbye, fighting to your cheeks from turning red and keeping a neutral smile on your face. You made your way out of the restaurant, ready to start running errands before you started your work week. New York was somewhat quiet, a small amount of people buzzing around and leisurely enjoying their Sunday.

           “Y/N, wait up,” You heard behind you after you got a few steps away from the restaurant.

           You turned in your boots to see Mat had just walked out the doors and walking towards you. Your heart clenched and pushed your hands into the pocket of your jacket, “what’s up?”

           “I, uh, what are you doing Tuesday night?”

           Your eyebrows pulled together, confused by his question as your head suddenly started whirling because was he asking you out? And if he was asking you out, what changed his mind?

           “You should come to the game,” he cleared his throat, his hands fisting inside the front pocket of his black jeans. “I know Jesse has an extra ticket, figured it might as well go to you.”

           Might as well. Almost like an afterthought, to keep the ticket from going to waste. Normally, you wouldn’t have picked up on his words like that but because you already felt inadequate compared to him and his women he chose to interact with, it was all you could focus on.

           “Oh,” you breathed, struggling hard to shake off the disappointment you felt because for a split second you thought he wanted to hangout. “Um.”

           “I just thought his ticket would go to waste,” Mat shrugged, playing it off sweet and innocent, as if he didn’t realize he was digging himself a deeper hole. “Jesse always talks about how much you like hockey.”

           You bit the inside of your cheek and took a step back, watching his eyes go a little confused as he watched your feet step back. “Maybe,” you answered, giving a tight smile. “Have a good day, Barz.”

           ~~

           Have a good day, Barz?

           How did Mat go from Maty, your knight and shinning armor one night, to being Barzy in a matter of less than twelve hours? Mat wasn’t entirely sure where he went wrong and for the next few days he kept going over Sunday morning, while trying to subtly stalk your Instagram. That Sunday morning was beautiful, he woke up with dusty cobwebs on his brain but the second he watched you walk into the restaurant in jeans and a comfy, oversized sweater, he was wide awake. You were quiet in your seat, chugging down coffee like a champ and keeping up with the twenty different conversations while catching Mat’s eyes every few minutes.

           Mat thought maybe things changed between the two of you Saturday night, he could still feel your body pressed against his, your warm hands against his chest. The second your hand cupped his jaw, your eyes pleading to walk away, he felt his anger melt away. You were warm against his hot blooded body, calming him down before he realized just how angry that dude made him.

           He really wanted you at the game Tuesday night, he wanted to see your face light up the second him and the boys hit the ice. How much Mat knew about you was because of Jesse, because his two best friends were in love with you and just rattled off facts. Mat knew about your job, who your top three hockey teams were (while taking deep pride that the Isles were your number one). He knew what music you liked and what you liked to do for fun. Mat paid more attention to you than you realized, but he had gone wrong somewhere, and he thought asking you to the game was his way of righting it. Except he faltered when you gave him a confused look and he fumbled over his words, feeling like a thirteen year old boy asking out his cooler and totally out of his league crush.

           “Have you ever considered just… I don’t know, maybe asking Y/N out?” Tito asked, his voice dripping in sarcasm as he and Mat sat in the locker room after the game.

           “You dick, I tried.” Mat answered, groaning. “It’s like she doesn’t even wanna give me the time of day.”

           “Huh, wonder why.” Tito mumbled, but Mat definitely heard him and clenched his jaw. “Listen,” Tito lifted his head and cleared his throat, “Jess and I wanna get drinks, why don’t you just… steal her away?”

           Mat stared at Tito, wondering if that would really work. He had no doubt that Jesse would be more than happy for Mat to take Y/N off his hands, considering Jesse mentioned them getting together every chance he got, but would Y/N really go off with him? She seemed distracted and distant two days ago. Mat wanted to reach out, something was drawing him to her and he just wanted to keep talking to her, but he didn’t have her number and didn’t want to deal with the way Jesse would look like a Cheshire cat when Mat asked for it. So, he settled for hoping that you’d show up to the game.

           And to his shock, you did. It wasn’t like you haven’t been to games, because you’ve been to plenty to support Tito and the boys, but now Mat was one of the boys you were supporting and it made his heart flutter knowing that.

           Tito and Mat walked out of the locker room, just after Matt and Sydney bid their goodbyes to Jesse and you. You looked cute, already bundled up for the early November snow in your tan pea coat already done up, your hands holding the New York Islanders knit pom hat that Jesse got for you not that long ago. Your smile was bright, but as you turned away from Matt and Sydney and locked eyes with Mat, it faltered and he noticed your hands start twisting the hat in a nervous habit.

           “Great game, boys,” You breathed, smiling at them and welcoming Tito’s warm hug, patting his back and letting your hand fall on his tight stomach as he stood with his arm around your shoulders.

           “You see that goal Barzy scored for you?” Tito asked, wiggling his eyebrows and smirking at you. Your heart stopped and your cheeks went pale instead of pink as he said, “Pretty hot, eh?”

           Mat ran his fingers through his hair and you could have sworn his cheeks had gone pink, “Shut up, Tito.”

           As Mat turned his eyes onto you, you quickly looked away just in time to see Jesse nod at Tito, “You ready to head to the bar?”

           “Yes!” Tito exclaimed but you pushed against Tito’s side and his arm dropped from your shoulders.

           “I made your asses food,” you looked away from Tito and at Jesse. “You told me they wanted to come over, asshole.”

           Jesse rubbed the back of his neck but smirked before motioning to Mat, “Well, Barz doesn’t wanna come out, you two head back and enjoy the food.”

           Your eyes shot to Mat and noticed how he looked like he wanted the world to swallow him up, he was avoiding your eyes and glaring at his two friends. Disappointment settled inside your chest because it was clear to you that he didn’t want to go anywhere with you, so as soon as the boys were out of ear shot, you’d let him off the hook.

           You rolled your eyes and grumbled about how much you hated Jesse, turning on your heel and leaving the three boys.  You had taken this way many times, so you knew the way to the car park where Jesse and the boys had parked and even though you were still annoyed at Jesse, you couldn’t help but join the conversation about the game.

           Tito and Mat seemed to be on a high about the game and you were proud of them, as the three boys relived their goals and assists you couldn’t stop the smile on your face but that smile soon left when you reached the doors and stood outside by Jesse and Mat’s cars.

           You sighed after you said your goodbyes to Jesse and Tito and grabbed out your phone, about to order and Uber, and when Tito and Jesse got into Jesse’s car you went to go speak to tell Mat he didn’t have to do anything with you but he beat you to it.

           “So, what’d you make us for dinner?” Mat asked, still resting against the side of his car, his hands in the front pockets of his jacket.

           “Uh, what?” You asked, lifting your head from your phone and looking at him. He was smirking, his hazel eyes looking dark under the night sky and it made your heart flutter because he still hadn’t gotten rid of the scruff and it grew. “Oh, no, Mat. You don’t have to come over.”

           “I don’t?” He asked, tilting his head but still smirking.

           “No, I mean, why would you?” You asked, huffing out a smile. “I’m gonna get an Uber, you can catch up to the boys and ride out on your high.”

           Mat watched you for a hot second, licking hit bottom lip. “Nah, you’re not taking an Uber and I’m not going out tonight, I’m gonna hangout with you.”

           “Mat,” you groaned as he unlocked his car and pulled the passenger side door open and he  motioned for you to get in. You grimaced, “Mat, you don’t want to hangout with me. I know you don’t.”

           Mat didn’t bother arguing with you. He just lowered his eyes, still smirking and pushed off of his car while unlocking it, “Get in the car, Y/N.”

           Butterflies erupted deep inside you at the low grumble falling past his lips. You made your way to the passenger side of the car and got in his car, rubbing your hands together as he started his car and let it run for a few minutes.

           The ride to your apartment was quiet other than music softly playing between the both of you, it was like the butterflies had paralyzed you and you forgot what it was like to act around a human being. You could barely remember the last time you felt this nervous around a guy and what was more annoying was how relaxed Mat looked as he sat in the drivers seat.

           He had one hand on the steering wheel while propping his elbow up on the window sill, the other lightly resting on the gear shift. Every once in a while he rolled his head from side to side, keeping his eyes on the road, but a few times he had taken small glances at you.

           How come Mat got to look so perfect while you felt like you were twisted in knots. It was like he was totally fine with spending his evening with you, like he wasn’t actually wishing he didn’t get stuck with you.

           Which again, was a joke because there’s no way Mat was fine with Jesse and Tito finally shoving you onto him.

           You fiddled with your keys once you reached your door and as you popped it open, you decided to give Mat one last chance to walk away. You turned in the middle of your doorway and sighed.

           “Whaaat?” Mat asked, dragging the word out and almost making you smile with that boyish gleam in his eyes.

           “Thank you for giving me a ride home, but seriously, you don’t have to hangout with me,” You answered, taking off the hat and pushing your hair off of your neck. “I know you’d rather be with your friends.”

           “Y/N,” he said your name slowly and lifted his hand to the wall beside your door. As he leaned in closer, you could smell the cologne that had been teasing you the whole way home. “I’m getting the feeling that it’s you who doesn’t want to hangout with me.”

           “What?” You asked, shaking your head. “It’s just,”

           “Just, what?” He asked, cutting you off. He saw something in your face that he didn’t like because his eyes softened and he lost the joking smile on his mouth, “I actually want to be here with you, Y/N, but if you don’t want me to stay, then I won’t.”

           You took a second to let his words sink in as you nibbled on your lower lip. Realizing that Mat might actually rather spend the high of his win with you, you found yourself murmuring, “So, you didn’t ask me to the game as an after thought?”

           In that moment, Mat realized where he had gone wrong Sunday morning. Understanding filled his eyes and he tilted his head to the side. He slowly stepped towards you, dropping his hand from the wall and resting his shoulder against the doorjamb.

           “Definitely not,” He murmured, his voice matching yours.

           Your cheeks heated up and you lowered your eyes, trying to hide the way your cheeks filled with pink but Mat had seen it and found himself smiling softly.

           “Chicken pasta sound good?” You asked.

           “I’m starving,” Mat grinned and you backed away, letting him into your apartment.

[tsauergrass]

A while ago, @scaredpotta asked me for a prompt from the prompt list I reblogged. I’ve been working on it for the past few days and now I’ve finished, but then I discovered that they’ve de-activated their account :( I am so sad and so sorry that I’m late. I’m still going to post it and, @scaredpotta, even though I know you won’t see this, I hope you’re having a wonderful day wherever you are.

29. Slowly, the words dripping from your tongue like honey

***

“60 dollars,” Draco says. “What can I get?”

Harry ruffles through the buckets of flowers in the cooler. “What are you looking for?”

“Something special. It is a note.”

Harry pauses. For days Draco has visited his flower shop, but not once has he ordered anything with a message. Usually it is four different shades of purple, or something classically romantic, or something simple but elegant, fragrant—hyacinths, roses, lily-of-the-valleys. Dahlias, accompanied with white-button poms and greens.

Harry turns to face him. Draco looks away, flushed, shifting back and forth on his feet.

“Well,” Harry asks, “What is it you want to say?”

“Let’s elope.”

Harry blushes crimson. Silly, because Draco is not saying the words to him—but to his lover, for whom he has come and visited Harry’s shop for days on end, arriving early to avoid the morning rush and bring them the flowers before the day starts. The flowers are always the freshest, the leaves still wet with dew, and Harry picks the best of them for Draco because Draco’s lover deserves the best. Because Draco deserves the best.

And it is harder and harder to fool himself every day, to tell himself that they’ve had history, that Draco already belongs to someone else—to watch Draco come in every day with a faint smile, the bell tinkling as he greets Harry good morning with two cups of coffee. His hair is soft in the morning light, white-gold amidst the exuberant flowers as he looks around—Harry wrapping his bouquet, trying to steal a glance or two—footsteps slow, bending as he sniffs at the buckets of flowers from the lower shelves. A laugh escapes and Harry pretends it is a cough when Draco turns, narrowing his eyes.

But there is no malice. There is only banter, witty and fast and sending a rush down Harry’s spine.

“Well,” Harry says, turning around. His face burns in the cool, moist air of the cooler. “The cleomes just came in today. I’ll pair them with some baby’s-breaths, if you’d like.”

“That would be prefect.”

And this is new, too—for Harry to hear the smile in Draco’s voice, a secret victory at every one of them, knowing they are there because of him. He picks out the cleomes with the most vibrant purples, the ones with their petals spread the fullest—cuts off the excess leaves, the motion familiar with ease. Spreads out the wrapping paper on the working table, smooths its edges.

“So,” he coughs, “you’re leaving.”

Draco pauses his sniffing at a hanging pot of petunias and looks at him.

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow,” he says. “Or so I hope. I am going to ask them today, whether they will come with me.”

“Oh.” Harry focuses on cutting the paper so he doesn’t have to meet Draco’s eyes. “So the bouquet. It’s a question.”

“It is.”

“Well, it’s not like you need to ask,” Harry laughs, dry, “of course they’ll come with you.”

“How do you know?”

Briefly, Harry lifts his gaze. Draco has tilted his head. Against the sunlight, Harry cannot quite make out his face, but it seems like his cheeks have flushed—a tinge of pink in the shadows.

“Well,” Harry looks back down again, swallowing, “it’s you. Who wouldn’t want to go with you?”

Silence. A while later, Harry raises his head. Draco is watching him still, his head tilted.

Harry finishes the bouquet in silence. Wraps it carefully, makes a couple last adjustments so the cleomes are shown to their fullest, the baby’s-breaths a lovely white. He hands the bouquet to Draco. “Sixty dollars.”

Draco takes the bouquet.

The last bouquet Harry would ever make for him. He wants to say goodbye, in a way however small: a hug, a handshake, a squeeze on the shoulder. Some proof that all these mornings weren’t nothing, hadn’t simply existed in his half-baked dreams—that Draco had enjoyed them, too, had enjoyed his little shop and the flowers and, perhaps, his company.

He might never see Draco again.

“Are you busy?” Draco asks.

Harry blinks.

“Do you have anything to do this moment?”

Harry blinks again. “I’m working.”

“Right,” Draco rolls his eyes, “and this is your shop. You are your own boss. Are you busy at the moment?”

“Well…I mean, no—”

“Great,” Draco says, turning to walk towards the door, “there’s something I need to show you. Just to get an opinion. Very convenient, won’t take long, my flat is a five-minute walk from here so we won’t even need to Apparate—”

“Wait, what—” Harry struggles to untie his apron as he stumbles over the register, “Draco, wait—”

“We can chat on our way. Have I told you about this person I’ve been buying flowers for? An idiot, let me tell you. An absolute idiot.”

The walk was brisk, the morning air crisp. Harry cannot keep up with Draco’s long legs. Draco walks rapidly, as though he has an appointment, the heels of his shoes clicking against the pavement as he rattles on without losing his breath. Harry stumbles along, bumps into Draco when he turns a corner—and there they were, in front of the doors of Draco’s flat.

“I haven’t tidied it,” Draco says, working the keys, flushed. “But I don’t think you need to close your eyes—”

A loud clack. The doors open.

Harry toes off his shoes and, gingerly, follows Draco past the parlor. The air smells of a soft fragrance, smells faintly of something familiar…

He stops, shocked, at the edge of the living room.

Vases and vases full of flowers. Familiar arrangements, all having come from his hands: the hydrangeas, the gerberas, the lilacs. The hyacinths draping from a tall vase, the dahlias in full bloom in a small pot on the windowsill. The roses, sitting in a tiny vase on the coffee table beside the armchair, a brimming array of red.

Beside him, Draco has flushed down his neck.

“But I don’t…” Harry trails off, looking at the room full of flowers again. “I don’t—”

“I preserved them. I learned the cooling charms.”

“But—”

“Harry James Potter. I buy you coffee every morning.”

Harry stares incredulously at him. “Friends buy each other coffee!”

“Oh my god,” Draco says, and kisses him.

Harry startles at it—then sinks into it, his eyes fluttering shut and his mouth falling open. Draco kisses him slowly, deeply, his hands coming around Harry’s waist—helpless, helpless in the heat of Harry’s mouth, wanting to pull away but unable to—Harry’s arms coming around his, pulling him close. He tastes like the coffee they’d had this morning, faintly bitter and sweet with too much sugar. The coffee Draco had bought for both of them.

Draco’s breath is cool on his lips. Harry hadn’t even noticed them parting, his eyes still shut, their mouths still close. He could feel Draco’s lips. He wanted to lean back in.

“What do you say?” Draco murmurs. Something rustles between them; Harry looks down, and there is the bouquet of cleomes he’d wrapped this morning, a lovely purple.

Draco laughs, breathless. “Elope with me?”

Three years later

They still come back every year. On the same day, to the same cliffs; they walk along the same rocky path near the ocean, laughing as they pull each other on, the waves crashing into the rocks and bursting into sprays, into the salty air.

At the bottom of the cliffs blooms a field of wild sea thrifts.

Harry can see it, now, from the balcony of their tiny hotel room: a hint of pink from behind the rocks, appearing and disappearing behind the relentless waves. It is barely visible in the dusk. The sky is darkening, into the color of a ripened plum.

Draco sneaks an arm around his waist, pulls him close. Harry leans into his touch. Noses at the hollow of Draco’s throat, the soft skin, the intimate warmth.

Murmurs, “What are you looking at?”

Draco hums. “Take a guess.”

“I don’t need to.”

Draco laughs. “Why did you ask, then?”

“I want to hear you say it.”

Draco laughs again and turns Harry around. Three years later Harry still does not tire of it, watching Draco smile, the lines at the corner of his eyes crinkling as his cheeks fold—his face blossoming into the happiness. His pale eyes glint in the dusk. In the quietness of the moments before night there is only the sea, waves crashing ashore and breaking into thin foams.

Slowly, gently, in a low voice, Draco says, “I love you.”

The words glow warm and golden in the dark. Leaning in, Harry catches his lips; they are soft and sweet, just as three years ago when they first kissed.

On the nightstand by the bed, the vase of cleomes blooms in the young night.

[babygirlgalitzine]

here comes the sun (and i say, it’s alright) 

(read it all here)

It's their night to have Lexi. It's something that happens often during her school holidays. She doesn't really have a routine, as such, because both of her parents are so active in her life that she sees them both everyday, despite the fact that they've both moved on to new relationships. It works, and she's happy. Ben's been living at Callum's for a while now, officially, and even longer unofficially, and Lexi loves nothing more than joining them there, her own little room set up now they live alone. She's got her own cups and plates and a toy box that constantly seems to have more and more dressing up clothes in, on a weekly basis - though neither Ben nor Callum admit to spoiling her rotten. She's got her own space on the sofa, and Callum doesn't even complain when she sits there in the morning eating buttery toast watching the kids channel he never knew he had on his television before her.

Lexi's sat there now, her legs swinging back and forth against the bottom of the sofa and she's cuddling into Ben's side, tiredness overtaking her though she's trying to fight it. The news theme tune chimes, and the only thing she cares about is how hot it's going to be tomorrow. Her day at the beach. Callum wraps his arm around Ben's shoulder, fingers lightly skimming past his hair, and Ben looks at Callum and smiles. He tilts his head towards Callum, who presses a kiss to his hair, and smiles back at Ben. The man on the news is talking about the local happenings, though it's nothing too exciting. Ben nearly falls asleep, and he knows Lexi is too, judging by the weight of her against his side. Then they go to the weather reporter, who is standing in front of a green screen of the map. Lexi doesn't understand it, not properly, but the adults do. Callum lets out a short huff before Ben even has time to process it all, his tired brain only working at a percentage of what it usually does.

"And the weather along the coast tomorrow is set to be miserable, with drizzle and dark clouds all day long. The temperature is set to drop to the mid-teens, and not rise from that for the remainder of the week."

"What does that mean?" Lexi inquires.

Ben curls her hair around his finger and then realises it. "It means we can't go to the beach tomorrow darling, I'm sorry." He says.

"Why not?" She asks, and Ben's almost grateful that she's clearly tired, because she's not fighting it.

Callum speaks up, looking over Ben's body to watch her. "It'll be raining and cold. We can go another day though."

Lexi nods. "Before I go back to school?"

"Course, Princess." Ben smiles. "Anyway, it's past your bedtime now, so go and brush your teeth and I'll be in to check on you in five minutes."

She stands up, pyjamas far too big on her, though they are in her age category. "Can you read me a story?" She asks, rubbing her eyes with the bunched up sleeves of her shirt.

"Only if you pick one out for me." Ben smiles, stretching his limbs out. He watches as Lexi runs to the bathroom, clearly excited about the idea of her Dad reading one of her books to her.

It's barely past nine at night, the sky only just fading into a navy colour, the stars coming to life, but they're so tired. Callum falls into a cuddle, wrapping his arms around Ben's body as he stretches out. Ben laughs mid yawn, an ache in his chest as he does so, and his hand falls to the back of Callum's head, fingers threading through his short hair. He presses a soft kiss to Callum's head and whispers. "Get in bed, babe, I'll only be ten minutes."

Callum looks up. "You sure?"

Ben nods. "Yeah." He says. "She was falling asleep against me so she won't be awake much longer."

Callum hums against Ben's chest, feeling comfortable and at ease with Ben holding him. Like they were meant to be. Ben runs his fingers through Callum's hair, the television still playing news, now the national news, and it's relaxing. Callum can hear Ben's heartbeat, steading and thumping against his chest. Lexi walks out of the bathroom, and the sleeve on her right arm is dripping in water. Ben chuckles, and taps his fingers against Callum's head, silently telling him to get up. Callum complies, though it pains him when Ben stands up and walks away.

"Say night to Callum and then go pick a book then darling." Ben says, his hands on Lexi's shoulders.

She climbs over to Callum, and wraps her arms around his shoulders, her tiny body barely able to reach up that high, even though he's sitting down. He presses a swift peck to her head and hugs her back, telling her to have a nice sleep, and then she's soon walking towards her bedroom, ready to pick out a book for Ben to read to her.

"Ten minutes." Ben says, stepping towards Callum and letting Callum drag him in by the waist. "I promise you."

Callum nods, looking up at Ben with a smile on his face. "I'll get into bed then." He says, and puckers his lips. Ben bends down, holding Callum's face in his hands and presses his lips against Callum's, softly sighing into the embrace. Neither of them want to break apart, but Lexi shouts that she's picked a book from her room, and Ben knows he has to go.

Callum follows him, quickly turning the television off and he throws the remote control down on the sofa, ready to be used in the morning. Ben walks into Lexi's room, and Callum walks into their room, though he can hear all the words that Ben's speaking as he reads the tale of fairies out loud. There's something so domestic about it, about going to bed early, bone tired, about hearing Ben read stories to his daughter, about being able to have his daughter stay the night in their house together. Callum's flicking through his phone, the light from it and from the lamp illuminating the room, when Ben walks in moments later. He drops down into the bed, sinking into the mattress, and Callum hauls him into an embrace. Serenity is surrounding them, and Ben links his fingers with Callum's, their bodies pressing together. "She picked the longest book." Ben chuckles, bringing their joined hands up to his lips, pressing a kiss to Callum's skin. "And then fell asleep before I finished the first chapter."

"You'll just have to finish it tomorrow night." Callum laughs, nudging Ben's shirt with his nose, exposing the skin of his neck.

Ben unlocks his hands with Callum's, and takes his shirt off, throwing it to the floor. He'll worry about that tomorrow. "You can do it tomorrow." Ben grins, pressing a kiss to Callum's neck.

"Yeah?" He asks.

"Yeah, course." Ben smiles. "You know she likes you, right?"

Callum hums, though neither of them are completely certain he understands. "She's proper been looking forward to going to the beach." He says, fingers catching Ben's hair, getting tangled in short knots.

"We'll take her another day." Ben promises. "Maybe make a weekend holiday of it."

Callum wakes up first, climbing out of bed. The cool air hits his body and he's grateful for it, the covers that were once over his body now way too hot for him. He leaves his boyfriend sleeping peacefully, though there's sweat visible on his forehead, and he walks into the kitchen. It's early, but it's clear to Callum that the weather presenter on the news the day before was wrong. It's hot, even at this early hour, the air muggy. Outside the sky cascades over the trees and houses a vibrant blue, with white and fluffy clouds sparsely littering the sky, breaking up the brightness of the blue.

Looks like a day at the beach is on, after all.

He flicks the television back into life, and there's a renovation show on. He takes no notice of it, just needing a bit of quiet noise playing in the background as he starts up his day. He's making himself a cup of coffee, when arms wrap around his waist, a head falling against his shoulder blades.

"Didn't wake you up did I?" Callum asks, and his voice is croaky because he's not had a drink yet.

There's a shake of Ben's head, and Callum can feel the movement against the expanse of his back. Callum turns, facing Ben now, and he wraps his arms around his boyfriend's body, just holding him there. Ben's head is against his chest, his glasses digging into Callum, pushing upwards off of Ben's eyes, making it difficult for him to see. The kettle grinds to halt, steam puffing out of its spout, and Ben groans as he pulls away from Callum.

"Want a cuppa?" Callum asks, as he watches Ben sit down on the sofa, resting his legs up on the small coffee table that resides in front of it.

Ben smiles over at Callum. "I don't deserve you." He says, and Callum knows that's Ben's way of saying yes.

Callum grins, and his heart flutters, all happiness and light. "I reckon we could go to the beach today." Callum admits, passing Ben the cup of tea.

"You think so?" Ben asks, raising an eyebrow in Callum's direction.

"It looks beautiful outside, and it's hot." Callum says. "We could go this morning, and then even if it starts chucking down in the afternoon we could just run back to the car and come home."

Ben hums, looking outside and watching as the clouds stagnate in the sky, the sun rising above the houses opposite. He knows Callum's right. "Alright then. Yeah, let's go."

So they do. Just over an hour later, and breakfast long since eaten, Lexi's standing at the door dressed in shorts with pom poms on, a bright pink shirt, and a hat, sunglasses in hand. Callum throws Ben's car keys at him, deciding to take his car just because Lexi's booster seat is already in there, plus it's bigger. Ben swings his keys around his fingers, and pats his shorts, checking that his phone's already hidden away in there. Callum picks up the bucket and spade, handing the latter over to Lexi, who takes it gratefully, and then he grabs a bag with a change of clothes, blanket and food and water. If nothing comes from this, at least he's prepared for all eventualities.

When they get to the beach, it looks like everyone’s had the same idea. It’s busy, and it takes Ben at least ten minutes before he’s able to find a place to park the car without paying extortionate prices to do so. Lexi's able to just look over the brick wall leading down to the beach - if she stands on the tips of her toes and cranes her neck.

"Daddy!" she shouts, though Ben is holding onto her hand and would be able to hear her if she just speaks. "There's a bouncy slide on the sand!"

Ben and Callum look at each other, fear in their eyes. It'll end in tears. Whether it'll be theirs because of the price, or Lexi's after she hurts herself, who knows? There's squeals of children all around, an inflatable obstacle course paving the way down to the beach. There's men playing football across the sand, sunbathers relaxing, children playing with buckets and spades. The second that Lexi steps foot onto the sand, the grains flicking into her tiny sandals, she sets off running, Ben and Callum quickly following her in the hope that she doesn't just go missing.

By lunch, it's hot. The sun is right there in the centre of the sky, at its peak. Ben's laying on the sand, tan grains sticking to him where he's sweating, or sticky with sun cream. Callum's sitting upright, helping Lexi tap down the sand in her bucket so that it doesn't all crumble when she tips it back around, building a castle. It's highly elaborate, with a moat, and sticks acting as a drawbridge. Ben grins, watching them play together. Lexi looks up at Callum with a bright grin, and he knows that means she's ready to flip it over, but needs help. Compacted sand is heavy on her little arms, especially in this heat. Ben takes his phone out of his pocket, and notices that it's hot to touch, but quickly snaps a photo of the two of them together. His two favourite people.

"It's lunch." Ben points out, looking at the time on his phone. He sits up. "Do you want to go and get something to eat, get out of the sun for a bit?"

"Can we come back here after?" Lexi asks, looking up at her dad, her hat just that little bit too big and falling off of her head. He fixes its position on top of her head and smiles. "I want to go in the water."

Ben chuckles. "If it's not raining by the time we come back then yeah." He says, shoving their things into their bag. "But I'm not going in the water. There's sharks in there."

"Ben!" Callum scalds, punching Ben's arm lightly. "I'll take you paddling after Lex, but we can't go in properly."

She accepts that, and carries her bucket away with her, holding onto Ben's hand as the three of them walk off the beach.

It's not long before they find a cafe, hidden away in the corner of a street. It's got an outside sitting area with only a few people there, covered by large parasols. Lexi sits down on a chair, and Callum follows, Ben drops the bag on the floor, underneath the table and stands towering over them. He takes his wallet out, reading to go and order some food.

"Do you need help?" Callum asks.

Ben shakes his head. "Just watch her, make sure she doesn't go running off." He leans down and rests his forearm across the back of Callum's neck, and hooks him in to press a gentle kiss to his lips. There's no need for it, it's just nice, and it sends shivers down Callum's spine. "What do you fancy?" He asks, voice low.

Callum grins, and he can't resist. Ben's stumbled right into a trap. "You." He says, lightness in his voice, and a laugh escapes him. "Just get me chips or something."

Ben pulls away, cheeks now a shade of pink. "Chips, and Lexi? Strawberry milkshake if they have any?"

Lexi looks up at her dad and grins, nodding her head. Callum leans over and takes her sunglasses off her eyes. She doesn't need them right now, underneath the parasol. Ben chuckles softly, shaking his head in disbelief at how lucky he is to have this life. He walks into the cafe, and is instantly grateful that there's cold air blowing out from above him. It's quaint, reminiscent of the photos he's seen of his own Mum's cafe in the past. Something within him clicks, and he feels at home straight away, though he knows he's never been here before. There's newspaper clippings on the way, the paper decaying into a soft yellow, the glass of a frame protecting it from any harm. The headline reads something about a grand re-opening, though he doesn't take much notice of it as he's busy trying to find a menu somewhere.

When he walks back out, moments later, with a strawberry milkshake in hand for Lexi, with a cardboard lunch box with zebras and giraffes printed on it, the heat hits him again, even more so now. He sits back down with his family, and explains that they'll bring his and Callum's order out when it's ready. "Only three pound for Lexi's stuff." Ben says, looking at the receipt in his hands. "And there's quite a lot in it."

"Not bad." Callum admires. "We'll have to come again."

[vannahfanfics]

Family Vacation

Category: General Fluff

Fandom: Noragami

Characters: Yukiné, Yato, Hiyori Iki

Hey, everybody! I am super happy to present my story for When Gods Wander: A Noragami Travel Zine (@noragamitravel​)! The zine is free to download, so be sure to check out the zine’s social to snag a copy of the PDF and enjoy all the wonderful content it has to offer!

Yukiné narrowed his eyes as he straightened up in the train seat, craning his neck to peer over the treetops framing the tracks. As he stretched as much as the cramped compartment would allow, he could just barely discern the pyramidal accents of the old Shinto and Buddhist shrines peeking above the emerald canopy of the forest. He plopped back down into the seat with a disappointed huff and crossed his arms. 

Yato had insisted on traveling to Nara for their “family vacation” or whatever, but so far, Yukiné was less than impressed with the historic city. If you could call it a city; right now, it just looked like a bunch of trees. Seething from the anticlimax, he slid his gaze to his right, where Yato was leaning over the armrest, trying to flirt with Hiyori. Bitterly, Yukiné wondered if this was less about “spending time with family” and more about Yato desperately trying to impress Hiyori. 

“Why did I have to come along then?” Yukiné grumbled to himself as he sagged down into the seat. He blanched when he caught a glimpse of Yato pursing his lips at him out of the corners of his eyes. 

Oh, crap. I didn’t mean to say that out loud! Now he’s gonna gripe at me like some grumpy old man. 

Before Yato could scold him, however, the train attendant cheerfully announced that they were approaching the Nara train station. Yukiné sat up again and looked out the window; the forest had thinned considerably to reveal well-tended gardens and paved roads framed with ornate fencing. They sprouted like snakes from the station to disappear behind corners in the maze of buildings, gray rivers sluggishly flowing through the collections of green grass and decorative rocks and bright green mosses. The pretty scenery was an improvement from the neverending expanse of trees, so Yukiné found his curiosity piqued, at least a little. 

“Ah, I’ve never been to Nara before,” Hiyori trilled excitedly as soon as they stepped out of the station. She clasped her hands by her cheeks as her eyes sparkled with delight. “Wow, it’s so pretty! I can almost feel the history,” she chortled. Yukiné rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his cargo pants pockets; the novelty of the gardens had already worn off, leaving him sulking again. 

“Hey!” he grumped with Yato elbowed him hard in the ribs. As the god flashed him a chastising glower, Yukiné scowled and rubbed the likely bruised spot on his side. “What’re you lookin’ at me like that for? You and I both know you’re just trying to get in good with Hiyori!”

At his bold— and loud— accusation, Yato gasped and looked suddenly at the girl. Thankfully, she was as oblivious as ever, prancing over to a tourist center attendant who was handing out free maps. Yato scowled and clapped his hand over Yukiné’s mouth and leaned in to whisper into his ear. 

“You’re such a brat, you know that? Just be grateful that I brought you along at all!” 

Yukiné wriggled about, prying his mouth free of the grip so that Yato’s hand clenched his chin instead. He gave the god a dour scowl, so deep that the pink of his gums bared. 

“Eh? Why should I be grateful that I’m a third wheel, huh?” he countered. Yato smirked sordidly, an artery bulging in his forehead as he struggled to maintain his composure. Yukiné turned up his nose disdainfully. Before either of them could continue bickering, Hiyori trotted up brandishing the map brochure, her cheeks flushed with elation. 

“Yato, Yukiné, there’s so much to do!” she gushed as she flipped the map open to show them. Her index finger traced a path across the laminated paper. “The nice lady said that if we follow this route, we can see most of the heritage sites here.” She turned the map around to appraise the various locations, eyes shining. 

Yukiné found himself relaxing just a little. It was hard to be irritated seeing Hiyori so excited. Even if Yato had dragged him along to play like he didn’t have any ulterior motives, Yukiné supposed it was all right as long as Hiyori had a good time. She deserved that. 

So, he kept his resentful comments to himself as they wandered throughout the historic city of Nara. He mostly flitted along like a ghost, half-listening to Hiyori’s avid gushing and Yato’s lame attempts to be relevant. The temples were pretty cool, he had to admit, as he appreciated the ancient architectural craftsmanship and the surrounding gardens. Still, Yukiné really didn’t care for any godly beings other than Yato and could only derive so much enjoyment from musty old buildings, so after about the third temple, he was finding himself pretty bored. It was around this time that they entered Nara Park. 

“Park” was a generous designation; it was really a series of interconnected paths leading to the other, grander sites. The roads were framed by short, stubby wooden cylinders chained by iron links. As Hiyori paused to debate which part of the park they should visit first, Yukiné found his mind wandering to a debate of his own. Maybe he should have blown off the “family vacation” to hang out with Kofuku and Daikoku instead; they’d be a heck of a lot more interesting than this, and maybe Daikoku would be nice enough to make him a snack. 

Yukiné nearly jumped out of his skin when something nudged him in the forearm. 

“What the—?” Gasping, he looked down to see a spotted deer with velvety antlers looking up at him with expectant, shiny black eyes. He blanched in confusion, looking around wildly to see that a small herd of the animals were engaging visitors all along the path. His frazzled mind failed to articulate that these were the deer Nara was known for, but thankfully Hiyori came trotting up before he could make a total fool of himself. 

“Ahhh! So these are the famous spotted deer of Nara! They’re so pretty!” she crooned in delight. The deer just continued to stand idly beside Yukiné as she stroked its white-spotted, russet fur appreciatively. After petting it a few seconds, Hiyori looked at Yukiné with a bright smile. “They’re quite tame, Yukiné! Try petting it!” 

Yukiné looked uncertainly at the small deer chewing on grass in front of him. It didn’t seem aggressive. Reluctantly, he reached out to gently stroke its flank. Its side twitched, making him recoil in fright, but the animal didn’t move to attack him. Again, he caressed the deer’s side. An excited smile slowly worked its way onto his lips as the deer allowed him to pet it. 

“Hehe… It’s soft…” Yukiné chuckled quietly. He jumped as the deer suddenly moved to butt its head softly against its leg. “Wh-what’s it doing?” he squeaked to Hiyori, who just giggled. 

“Relax! It probably just thinks you have some deer crackers. Wait here; I’ll go buy some, Yukiné.” 

“What? Hiyori, no, don’t leave!” Yukiné protested in a high-pitched voice, but the willful girl had already abandoned him in search of the crackers. He froze stock-still in the middle of the path as several deer began to nose at his cargo pants pockets and snuffle at his hands. “Hehehe… Nice deer… Hiyori will be right back with some crackers… Please don’t eat me instead!” he fretted, sweat rolling down from his wavy blond hair. He looked up to see Yato lounging on a bench with an assuaged grin on his face. 

“The hell you laughin’ at, Yato?” 

“My cute little Regalia,” the god responded, his smirk deepening with amusement. Yukiné scowled, sorely tempted to whack that shit-eating grin right off the god’s face, but he was too nervous around the deer to make any sudden movements. Thankfully Hiyori came hurrying back with several packs of crackers in her hands. 

She yelped in surprise as the deer suddenly surrounded her. She held the crackers up as they insistently nibbled at her clothes and craned their necks in attempts to get at the treats. 

“Heehee! Patience, patience! Let Yukiné feed you, too!” she laughed, completely unbothered by the deer swarming her. She stretched out her arm to hand Yukiné some of the crackers, which he took reluctantly. Several of the deer splintered off to demandingly paw at him instead. He hastily drew one of the crackers and held it out, and one of the deer immediately clamped down on it. Crumbs rained from its lips as it devoured the wafer, making snuffling noises that had Yukiné chuckling. 

“Heh… That’s it…”  Yukiné said skittishly as he held out another cracker. Another deer claimed it as its prize, shouldering another out of the way. Yukiné hurriedly procured another for the disgruntled smaller deer that had been denied its treat. Little by little, he became more relaxed, feeding the animals with a happy smile. It wasn’t long before he ran out of the deer crackers.

“Wah! I’m sorry, guys, I don’t have any more!” he laughed as they nosed disappointedly at his pockets and clothes. One of them tried biting down on the pom-poms of his hat, which he had to hurriedly yank out of the way before it could be coated in goopy deer spit. After a minute of hassling him, the deer figured out that he had no more food and trundled off down the path to harass other park visitors. Yukiné watched them trot off with a beaming smile. 

“Wasn’t that fun, Yukiné?” Hiyori asked breathlessly as she trotted up. 

“Yeah!” he confirmed with a bright smile. He brushed the crumbs from his shirt as Yato sauntered up. Yukiné grunted as the taller boy slung his arm around his shoulder with a self-satisfied sigh. “Knock it off, Yato!” he whined as Yato knocked off his hat to affectionately tousle his blond curls. 

“I can’t help it! My little Regalia is so cute <3” he cooed. Yukiné scowled in disgust as Yato nuzzled his cheek endearingly. “I’m so glad you’re finally enjoying our family vacation, Yukiné~ You were making Father oh-so-sad!” 

“Get offa me, ya creep!” Yukiné protested and squirmed out of his hold to stomp a few paces down the path. Yato watched him with watery eyes and a wobbling bottom lip before making grabby hands at Hiyori. “Oh, don’t pull that crap!” Yukiné fumed as Hiyori took the god into a comforting hug. 

“You sleaze!” Yukiné snorted as Yato flashed him a triumphant smirk over the oblivious Hiyori’s shoulder. Really, is Hiyori that much of an airhead?

“Hiyori-chaaaaan, why is our son so temperamental? Am I a bad father?” 

Yukiné rolled his eyes and turned his back, mentally blocking out Yato’s wheedling. Instead, he watched the deer as they demanded crackers from travelers or lounged under the shade of the trees dotting the park. As he watched the quiet, graceful animals, the annoyance melted from his tense body, and a serene smile appeared on his lips. Unprompted, one of the deer trotted up and butted his hand, nuzzling into his palm. Yukiné petted it eagerly, relishing how soft its fur was. 

Well, he thought with a small smirk, at least there’s something worthwhile about this trip. Even when Yato and Hiyori finally pulled him away to resume exploring the various temples, Yukiné felt buoyed by his interaction with the local deer. 

Not a bad family vacation after all, he had to admit.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[echoeternally]

Mario Thread Opinions

I saw something making rounds on Twitter featuring Mario characters, so, I wanted to respond to that, but without flooding the timeline.

So, I’ll put them here instead! ...And I’ll try to keep thoughts short...

... ... ...

Original Tweeted Characters

Mario: He’s such a cheerful and happy protagonist! I don’t get why people ever have strong dislikes for him. He’s full of energy and normally kindness. Maybe they think that’s bland, but I’ve been following Mario’s journeys since I was very young, so he’ll always be a great protagonist for me.

Toadette: She’s so energetic and sweet! She’s come such a long way since her debut from Mario Kart: Double Dash, and currently, Toadette seems to be a regular mainstay for the franchise. You’re doing amazing, sweetie! Keep going!

Dry Bones: One of the cutest zombies and/or reanimated dead characters that I can think of. While a tricky enemy to handle, I still enjoy seeing them. Plus, they’re welcome additions to spin-off games like almost always!

Shy Guy: The beeeeest! Shy Guy is the cutest little enemy, and I love how they get included into various roles as either friend or foe. I think I’m always happy to see Shy Guy around in some way!

Pink Gold Peach: Peach deserves a cool power-up form! While I wish she had it outside of spin-off titles, I think it’s a cute concept regardless. (Though, I get the disappointment when she shows up.) People mention “rose gold” as a title instead, and I think I agree with that, but also, alliteration.

Peachette: (deep, heavy sigh) You could have been so fun conceptually...the potential for future uses that could be dramatic with bait-and-switches for Peach. But...marred by Internet memes...also, not a fan that Toadette gets replaced on-screen by Peach in the first place, so, yeah.

King Boo: This dude has so many change-ups in how he appears. I kind of love him as both a Mario enemy and a Luigi’s Mansion main boss. He makes a good adversary for Luigi, so, I hope he sticks around to spook the cast! Love his laugh too, lol.

Daisy: She deserves so much love and attention, and I don’t understand why the developers at Nintendo have kept her locked behind spin-off titles for so long. I feel like that could change going forward, so I’m hoping that she becomes even more awesome and help save the day in future adventures!

Peach: Arguably the most iconic damsel in modern media, though I wish we could let her evolve past that. Peach is strong in her own right, so let’s see her headline a franchise and save the day herself! She doesn’t get opportunity to do that enough. She can be more than just Mario’s plot device. Anyway, she’s great, and I wish she would get more respect from Nintendo. She could make the Disney princesses shudder if given the chance.

Yoshi: Quite possibly the cutest steed known to pop culture! He’s so sweet and precious, like, I feel as though no one can help but love Yoshi. Anytime he pops in and the moment immediately improves!

Luigi: As a younger sibling myself, I totally can relate to Luigi easily. He’s the best deuteragonist that Mario could ask for! His fans can sometimes be a little much, but I can understand the enthusiasm! Luigi’s a good boy. Nintendo should dunk on him less though; he’s proven well enough.

Hammer Bro: Bah, an enemy that always keeps me wary! Probably one of the biggest common enemies that is practically guaranteed to be at least a light challenge. As they appear in more spin-off games, I like their energy and excitement more. They’re fun dudes!

The Koopalings: No clue how they were kept dormant for so many years, because they provide so much flavor to the series! Then again, it’s painful to see any of them separated from one another, and including seven characters can be a challenge. Overall, I love them, and they make great opponents and even additions to rosters! Best generals, I think.

Kamek: I know that the name isn’t supposed to be significant, but he ended up being so. And I really wish we would get a version of Kamek that stands out from the other Magikoopa! His role seems too important to be neglected as often as it can be. Definitely the coolest standalone enemy on Bowser’s minion roster, and I hope they keep helping this one stand out more in the future!

Waluigi: He’s pretty funny, and he can sucker a few laughs out of me time and again. I think that he’s underrated by the Mario franchise itself, and that he should appear more often or join Wario for his franchise. His loudest fans are definitely a bit too rambunctious. Still, he’s been around for 20 years, and I do agree that he probably deserves better.

Rosalina: Definitely a cool character that I really hope we keep in rotation. She should be used for more than just spin-off shenanigans without question, so I hope that we see her more as time goes on. (She almost joined Odyssey in a cool appearance!) Anyway, I love her motherly and calm yet elegant nature, and the lore that she gave to Super Mario Galaxy as well. Luma princess!

Bowser: As Mario is one of my favorite protagonists, Bowser would be one of my favorite antagonists! Though, I do wish he’d get a break. He’s a fun character without always being evil. We should give other villains a chance to go crazy and let Bowser do something else, either helping Mario or just living life without being the big bad. He’s sometimes more interesting being just a dad above all else!

Piranha Plant: Plant gang rise up! Not going to lie, one of the most iconic Mario enemies to appear, and yet, I feel like they’ve been slept on until their recent inclusions in games as playable characters, most especially in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Great surprise trap enemies too. Overall, love these chompy dudes! ...Except when they chomp me, that is, ha!

Metal Mario: Probably one of Mario’s coolest power-up forms! He’s appeared in several spin-offs as a playable character, starting with Mario Golf for the N64, if I’m not mistaken. While I prefer him as a power-up, he’s a fun concept to see turn up every so often.

Whomp King: An iconic opponent in Super Mario 64, and one that I’m surprised to see turn up every so often! Yet, I’m also surprised that we don’t see him more often as well. It’s odd, but then again, Whomps can be underutilized. I like him though!

Wario: Greedy guy supreme! Wario is perhaps the grossest Mario character, but also one of the funniest. He’s usually a welcome addition to the rosters that he joins, so, I like to see him around too. His laugh is hilarious and definitely one of the more recognizable out there!

Dry Bowser: Bowser’s reanimated corpse! Originally a cool concept and perhaps even a surprising one! Since I like Dry Bones, I tend to like this dude, even when he’s not exactly Bowser himself sometimes, since that happens. Either way, cool and creepy, so totally a unique flavor!

Pom Pom: Honestly, not an addition that I ever expected, but totally welcomed alongside Boom Boom’s return to the franchise. I love her shuriken attacks and ninja theme, because I’m a sucker for that. And more female creature features are always welcome to roster! Not every lady needs to be a princess, after all.

King Bob-omb: I love him! He’s arguably my favorite boss from Super Mario 64, and I’m so happy that he’s been popping up more frequently. He’s finally playable for the first time in Mario Kart: Tour, so I hope he appears as such in future titles! His mustache deserves greatness!

Toad: I have literally always had a huge soft-spot for the Mushroom Kingdom citizens. Also, I feel like Toad should be recognized as an individual as much as Yoshi is! He’s cheerful, helpful, sweet, and usually so helpful! Plus, I totally crush it when I use him in Mario Kart, lol. One of my favorites as well, and I consider him as part of the core cast!

Bob-omb: Who knew living explosives could be so...cute? I can’t deny that I delight in seeing them, even though they usually terrorize me whenever they’re around. Totally love to see them included, as they’re great inclusions.

Boo: Spooky time! I love seeing Boo, they’re fun. Also, horrifying to face off against, since they’re not usually the easiest to defeat. They’re cute though, and I love to listen to their cackles and trills! Also wonderful inclusions, both in the main Super Mario games and hilariously so in Luigi’s Mansion. (I love their titles and names in those games!)

Bowser Jr.: While his existence should raise questions, mostly concerning how, I tend to hand wave that as easily as Nintendo does. I love that Bowser has a bratty kid, it’s so entertaining to me! And it’s precious, because I really enjoy seeing Bowser having a soft spot for his son. Junior himself is enjoyable to see too, because he’s a pint-sized enemy with lots of personality!

Pauline: That’s my girl! That’s my girl right there, whoo! I’m so deliriously happy that she’s returned in the greatest form, from nameless damsel to major city mayor! And now she’s regularly included for Mario franchise casts by the fans and the developers. She deserves it, and I hope we continue to see Pauline appear all the time in the future! Get it, One-Up Girl!

Baby Daisy: A cute baby bean, and a logical companion for Baby Peach! Not usually a character that I favor, but I don’t mind her. The scariest kiddo on the racetrack, that I’ve learned.

Petey Piranha: It makes sense that the Piranha Plants have a boss leader, since Bowser is that for the Koopas, and then we have such for Bob-ombs, Whomps, Boos, and the others. Anyway, the sludge stuff is gross, but I do love to see Petey! He’s actually sort of cute with his little utters of “yay!” in spin-offs. Plus, he’s usually a fun flavor of boss to battle!

Lakitu: Honestly, I forget that these dudes are supposed to be bad guys; they’re usually so friendly and helpful! And I think I prefer them that way overall. But, they do make challenging opponents when they’re not helpers, so that is fun to see from time to time. Totally a great mainstay to the roster either way!

Baby Rosalina: Like, I do get the idea of her, but at the same time, she’s more or less a walking contradiction, more than Bowser Jr. or the other babies by far. She is cute though, and I guess we’re not meant to think about it.

Koopa Troopa: Basically Bowser’s equivalent to Toad, and I don’t think that’s a comparison that’s addressed often enough. Like, they’d be great to make Bowser’s forces more sympathetic. Anyway, I like them as enemies, though I tend to see them as helpers fairly often too, since that’s how they’ve appeared over the years. Totally a great mainstay!

Boomerang Bro: As if their hammer throwing cousins weren’t bad enough, we get these dudes to battle from time to time. They’re tricky but cool variations on classic opponents. And I think I enjoy seeing them when we have big cast herds for the spin-off Mario titles.

Bullet Bill: Fear. These guys just come flying out of cannons and my instinct just shifts into fight-or-flight. I love them appearing, but I’m always wary of the challenges they normally present. Also, similar to Bob-omb with the whole, “who knew living artillery could be cute?” Because I know it’s Mario, but geez.

Baby Luigi: The baby bro! He’s a fun alternate option for Baby Mario to rescue, and cute to see included from time to time in spin-off titles. Though, I think his best appearance was Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.

Banzai Bill: The developers went, “Hey, know what’s scary than a big bullet chasing you down? How about a MEGA DEATH BULLET that destroys everything in its wake? Let’s even give it a creepy slasher-grinning face!” And nobody really questioned that. Utterly horrifying to battle (or just run from), but cool conceptually, so I like the enemy inclusion.

Buzzy Beetle: They’re such lowkey baddies that I actually love. Like, there’s even a sinister hint to them with the glowing red eyes and everything! Totally underrated as opponents, and I enjoy their appearances whenever they’re around.

Baby Mario: The leader of the bunch, and you know him...wait a minute. Anyway, he’s a fun character concept, and I like the idea of exploring characters at different points of their lives! It’s cute to see Mario was thrown into heroics since basically birth, and Baby Mario’s usually entertaining to see around, even though we should really question the lacking moral/ethic decisions of letting babies drive go-karts and playing sports.

Goomba: The number one low-level grunt of all-time! At least, I think so. They’re such fun enemies to see included almost all of the time. It’s fun how they’re normally super easy to fight, but can be surprising challenges in various appearances too. Simple conceptually, yet really diverse in use! Overall, one of the best baddies out there!

Thwomp: Floating death trap extraordinaire! These dudes are utterly terrifying to be anywhere near, most especially under. I tend to remember them for the blocky blue forms used during the N64 era, but I think that’s the less iconic form. Still, they’re great trap enemies for sure, with a great slamming grunt to boot!

Captain Toad: While I’m not entirely sure if he’s meant to be separate from the Toad we know, I treat him that way. Plus, it’s fun to have a light-hearted version of Wario’s treasure hunter role used, and one that actually provides aid to Mario on his adventures! Plus, a hero in his own right. A great character indeed!

Wiggler: Instead of chanting “don’t be suspicious,” it’s “don’t wake the wormy” for me. This crazy caterpillar is full of anxiety inducing moments for sure, but on the cuter side too. Also, shout-out to the Flutter form! Anyway, they make a fun enemy, and it’s fun when they go from passive to aggressive!

Cheep Chomp: I really can’t deny that I’m surprised that this was included for an opinion list. Anyway, bigger and scarier fish enemies are always a good fright to include, so, why not? I like the purple version too.

Baby Peach: The original baby princess, which is weird to mention, given that I never expected more than one to appear or matter. Anyway, she’s a cute companion for Baby Mario and has her own baby princess posse, so...yeah.

Boom Boom: These dudes were always such cool enemies in Super Mario Bros. 3, so I’m really glad they came back into newer games! I love seeing them appear more in spin-offs lately too, they’re entertaining options to shuffle in with the cast now and again. Fun to face off against too; normally easy, but can be tougher too!

Cheep Cheep: Fishy! It’s weird how they can be so cute, and yet they’re so dangerous, since one bite cuts you down to size. But yeah, I like them as basic aquatic enemies!

Blooper: These troublesome dudes...they can chase you, tentacle smack you, and ink you in the face! That last one never used to be a problem in kart racing, but they totally improved over the years. Good enemy. But, also? A really, really cute spin-off character! I kind of love seeing them appear in other titles as playable characters. Especially in Mario Tennis Aces. Their voices are so cute!

Whomp: Really weird to see them included so far from their king. But anyway! Cool enemies, totally underrated compared to their Thwomp cousins, and I like to see them turn up now and again. They make fun guards, most commonly utilized in the Mario Party series. They’re fun enemies and deserve more love!

Additional Characters That I Like Too

Birdo: The disrespect at people never including my girl...shameful! Anyway, I love Birdo a lot. She’s pretty cute and should totally be included way more often than she is. And she pairs so nicely with Yoshi, that’s so perfect! Plus, she’s probably the earliest trans character that I was ever introduced to, and/or consciously aware of. Anyway, I love her, so there.

Toadsworth: Why does he get so neglected over the years? I thought he was a great inclusion for Peach’s staff, and yet, he’s diminishing so frequently over the years for some reason. Anyway, he was a very entertaining character, made a great equivalent to Kamek, and I wish he’d be used more frequently.

Donkey Kong: Not going to lie, I tend to not include him in Mario cast calls a lot too, since he just feels comparatively detached to other characters. That’s so weird for someone that basically helped kick off Nintendo’s main franchise. Anyway, I love him a lot, even if I don’t show it much. He’s a cool kong, and doesn’t need to be the king to prove it!

Chain Chomp: The bark and chain rattle of sheer terror. I love these guys though! They’re so cute! And dangerous. But cute! Whether being used as a baby’s weapon of mass destruction in racing, or as another avid tennis player, Chain Chomps are just delightful to have around.

Wart: Yeah, not really expected to be included. But, I like Wart from Super Mario Bros. 2, and he’s basically my new character to campaign for since Pauline made it back from the yester-years already. Wart has great potential to be an alternative to Bowser, or even just a fun character to include, so, I hope that we see him come back to the Mario franchise in the future some day!

Nabbit: This pesky thief actually stands out well enough to me, probably because he’s included as a playable pick in the New Super Mario Bros. games from time to time. Anyway, an oddball of sorts, but pretty cute to see pop up from time to time! Maybe he’ll be kept in rotation for future spin-offs...we’ll see!

Monty Mole: Perhaps a more forgettable enemy, but I think they’re entertaining and rather unique ground enemies! Also, I enjoy their Rocky Wrench cousins. But yeah, I felt these dudes deserved a special mention too!

Diddy Kong: Although I typically don’t consider Diddy a Mario character, he’s appeared so often enough that he should be. I like him as Donkey Kong’s go-to partner, and he’s fairly cute too!

Tatanga: Look, if Wart doesn’t work out, then I’m rallying behind Super Mario Land’s Tatanga. Plus, if we get more Daisy, we might as well get an enemy to go along with, or rather against, her. Who better than this little dude? ...Though, I kind of like the bulky version from the comics more. Then again, it’s less expected for a tiny guy to be a main bad guy, so, he’d work either way. Another fun alternate for Bowser, so he can have a break, and Mario gets more enemies!

Fire Bro: I saw the Boomerang Bro and was kind of expecting this dude to show up too. Normally easier to handle than their weapon tossing cousins, at least for me, but they’re challenging enough too. Another fun variation inclusion for big roster herds.

Spike: You know, I recall the Paper Mario version known as Clubba best. But anyway, I like these dudes, and I’m enjoying seeing them appear more often in newer spin-off titles. They’re cute! And they provide strong diversity for Bowser’s usual forces.

Luma: How did we not see these little fellows in the main set? They’re so adorable, I love seeing them all the time now! Definitely one of the coolest races to come from the Mario games, totally fitting for the franchise, and I love seeing them appear basically whenever they do. They’re so cute!

Rex: The retro Super Mario World enemy that’s rather squishy and most commonly forgotten. I think they work nicely as an evil equivalent to Yoshi, at least in appearance. It’s honestly strange that they’re so underrated and underutilized by the franchise; they’re pretty cool!

Ninji: Little ninja-like minions from Super Mario Bros. 2 that appear sparingly across the Mario series. Another enemy that I feel is super underrated and totally has potential for inclusion in spin-off games or just as a more frequent opponent like Rexes should be.

Koopa Paratroopa: Kind of included with Koopa Troopa above, but I like to see Paratroopa distinguished, since they normally tend to be, even among flying enemies. Plus, they’re common inclusions to the Mario spin-off titles, so it’s weird to pass over them. Anyway, I like these winged menaces too!

Professor E. Gadd: Speaking of underused characters and E. Gadd should totally pop up there. I like that he’s a Luigi’s Mansion mainstay, but I miss the days where he was slowly branching out in other titles, perhaps most notably in the Mario & Luigi series, but he’s also the reason that Mario had FLUDD in Super Mario Sunshine! I wonder why he’s not included more frequently; even if not playable, he makes sense just being used in some capacity.

Spiny: Lakitu’s little monsters that rain terror from the skies and onto the ground! Perhaps one of tougher baddies to battle with, but I like to see them, since they’re pretty iconic. Even without being Lakitu’s minions, they’re still plenty tough for Mario to battle against. Plus, they’re kind of cute? We should see a blue variation some day though, so that way we all know who to hammer on for all of those Mario Kart horror stories...

Cappy: Since this is being posted on the 3rd anniversary for Super Mario Odyssey, I’ll give him an additional inclusion. After all, Cappy is probably one of Mario’s best companions for a 3-D Mario title to ever be included, easily surpassing FLUDD and Baby Luma / Co-Star Luma. I hope he’s not left to be forgotten as the years go by, because he had plenty of personality and flavor that really made the adventure even more entertaining, and a great concept to engage with the game play, so, here’s to Cappy!

... ... ...

Phew. Anyway, these are just some thoughts on Mario franchise characters! There sure are a lot of them, huh? Probably too many to count if we really dig through the series, that’s for sure!

That’s all from me though, at least for this. Thank you for reading!

[shorties-unite]

I Might Even Be A Rockstar (Part 3)

Summary: Roman is a normal boy with a very normal life who also happens to be a teen pop sensation. Virgil is a normal boy who also happens to have a debilitating crush on a teen pop sensation. Stuff happens I guess (Part 1 | Part 2)

*Oooh yeahh woah woah*

Logan LaMottie’s life ran on quite a fixed schedule. It wasn’t necessarily something he was consciously aware of, it’s not like he possessed a planner or an incredibly detailed schedule planned out in the calendar app of his phone. Instead he just knew that every week on Wednesday afternoons when the school bell went to signify the end of the final class of the day, he would walk to swimming practise on the other side of the school before catching the bus to the beach with his teammates, and using the rest of the late afternoon finishing any homework he hadn’t previously completed, and simultaneously supervising whichever employee of his family’s surf shack was rostered on. However, this particular Wednesday afternoon, instead of making his way to the bus stop at 4:45pm, he found himself standing in the hall of the gymnasium, chlorinated water still drying in tousled light brown hair and his damp towel hanging on his shoulder. He could hear the soft squeaks of sneakers on the polished wooden floors and enthusiastic voices learning chants. He promised himself that being late to work wouldn't throw off his life balance too much, he’d already checked to make sure one of the more competent employees would be manning the shack this afternoon, and he was already ahead of his schoolwork, and at any rate.. he had to start somewhere if he was going to solve the mystery, and this seemed as good a place as any.

In a flurry of pom poms and loud chatting voices the Seaview High cheer team burst from the hall, rapidly packing their stuff into bags in a rush to make it to the bus stop or car park in time. Logan found himself bustled along with the river of uniforms until they reached the end of the hall leading to the glass doors at the front of the school. It was there he spotted the curly golden puff of hair he was looking for, bouncing down the stairs. 

“Truscott!!” he called, and the bright face of the cheerleader turned his way, already halfway down the stairs. He looked surprised and confused, trying to figure out where he had heard his name. “Truscott!” Logan called again, a little softer, making his way over to the confused boy. “H.. um Logan? Hi..”. He didn’t look any less confused now that he knew it had been Logan calling him. That was probably to be expected, seeing as Logan could probably count on one hand the number of words the pair of them had exchanged in the last three years. 

“Hey,” He began “It’s Patton, am I correct?”

“Yes, it is,” Patton replied as they fell into step, the school building disappearing behind them. “Can, I um.. Help you with something?”

“Actually you can, I have a few questions I would love to get your opinion on,”. Patton having him a quizzical look in reply. 

“Don’t you take like, all advanced classes?” he asked, “What question could I possible answer for you that you don’t already know?”. Logan exhaled in amusement and pressed on, “I couldn’t possibly know everything Patton. And anyway, these questions aren’t quite… Academia related,”. 

“Oh.” Patton’s face and upper body seemed to suddenly go stiff at that, and his steps suddenly sped up. It wasn’t a challenge for Logan to keep up, being more than a head taller than the little cheerleader, but it was peculiar. “I.. um, I’d love to help you Logan but I actually have somewhere that I need to be, so..”

“Oh I understand, that isn’t a problem. Would another time work better for you? Maybe Saturday afternoon at the beach?” Patton's cheeks had begun to redden and he breathlessly whispered out an agreement and a quick goodbye, before dashing off, leaving Logan in his wake. He sighed as he inspected a nearby bus stop schedule, mind already buzzing with things he would need to research in preparation for the weekend. 

*Ooh woah, ooh woa-woah, ooh woa-woa-woah yeahhh*

“Patton, it is so clearly a date,” Roman argued as he dug through his shoe closet, searching for the second green knee high boot to the outfit he had been meticulously planning all afternoon. “No it’s not. If it was a date, than he would have asked if he could take me on a date.” Patton retorted, perched on the edge of Roman’s bed. “So than it’s one of those ‘Not-A-Date’ dates!” Roman called, his voice muffle by the clothes he was surrounded by. “You’re hanging out, alone, at the beach at sunset. What else could it possibly be?”

“He said he wanted to ask me something,”

“Yeah, like what’s your favourite colour, or movie or how on earth you tumble across that football field and still have the energy to lead the cheer! You know, normal flirting questions,”. Finally Roman emerged from the depths of the shoe closet, Left boot in hand triumphantly. 

“What, like the questions you should be asking Smokin’ Sanders?”

“We aren’t talking about that. We’re talking about you and Hottie LaMottie,” Patton blushed at that comment. “I’m sorry that this means I can’t come to New York with you,” he muttered. 

“Don’t fret over it for a second my smitten sidekick. I’ll even let you borrow something from the Princey closet if you’d like.” Patton squealed and lunged at Roman, knocking the wind out of him in the process. 

Eventually, Patton settled on a nice pair of sunglasses with pink lenses shaped like stars, after Roman commented that seeing Patton in them would make Logan go “Starry-Eyed”. Patton tucked the glasses into the front pocket of his sports bag, and then began helping Roman carefully pack his much deliberated on final outfit. “Hey,” Patton voiced as he began sorting through various hair and makeup produced for the second case, “You know this means you have to talk to Virgil now, instead of just flicking your hair every three seconds and hoping he’ll notice,”. Roman grew pale at the mere thought. “First of all, I DON’T flick my hair every three seconds. Secondly, noooooooooo I can’tttt,”. 

“You can’t talk to a boy you’ve been sitting next to for two weeks now? You’re announcing a Tiny Award with Zac Efron this weekend!!” Roman rolled his eyes, but he knew his friend was right, so eventually he reluctantly agreed. “If Patton can go on a date with Logan LaMottie with the swimmers body, than he could borrow a pinch of Princey’s confidence for an hour long class to talk to Virgil. 

an: So by a combination of finishing my last final (sorta, I still have labs to do once we can go back to campus), and it being Roman’s birthday and this feeling obligated to contribute something to at least one of my creative projects, part three of this cheesy story has finally been finished! hehehe sorry I’m sure you were all dying to know what happens next. Happy Roman’s birthday Void! xx

Taglist: @frikijedai @datfearlessfangirl @nadja-chamack16

[anotherloganstan]

Pastel Patty and his Punk Papas - familial Analogicality + romantic Analogical

Summary: Patton is a pastel young boy waiting for his punk daddies to pick him up after school.

A/N: based off this post.

Warnings: none

Word count: 950

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Parents came in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. Patton knew this. Yet he knows his daddies are different. Not a bad different. Just a different.

So, sitting here after his after school gymnastics class, on a chair far too big for him, he’s waiting for his daddies. Except they’re a little late. He watches, a big grin on his face, as his friends and classmates leave with their normal looking parents - those in office clothes or high vis jackets, in sweatpants and vest tops or in three piece suits. He knows his daddies aren’t like that but they’re going to come.

He sits and swings his legs, the little pom poms on his pink boots swaying with them, his light blue jeans tucked into them awkwardly after changing after gymnastics, and his pink t-shirt ruffled awkwardly, the pink and yellow backpack on his back far too big for him. But the pink, blue, and yellow hair clips are precisely placed by his teacher to hold back some of his unruly dirty blond curls from his face.

The teacher reappears, crouching down to his level. She’s young, younger than his daddies, but nice and she teaches the gymnastics beginners class at the school. So, Patton is fond of her; he usually likes most people, he’s a very friendly child - a bit too friendly as his papa would say.

“Did they say they’d come tonight, sweet?” she asks, voice worried and soft. But Patton takes little notice.

“Uh huh, my daddy said he’d come right from work but I don’t know if papa is coming,” Patton explains, voice all high and happy, almost oblivious that his fathers are late.

“Okay, sweet,” she says. Obviously concerned for the lateness of his parents’ arrival, or their absence of arrival, she’s never met them before, of course, he’s not Patton’s year teacher, so she's never met his parents at parent teacher nights.

“What do your daddies look like, my sweet? Just so I can keep an eye out for them,” she says, shuffling to get a little more comfortable in her awkward squat position.

Patton only looks at her briefly before looking back at the door eagerly.

“My daddy has light brown hair but with blue bits in and he sometimes wears those fancy jackets that office guys wear but sometimes he wears his favourite jacket that papa bought him, the one with the spikes on. And papa has purple hair, all of it.” He gestures to his own hair, ruffling it all up. “And- and papa likes purple so he wears purple t-shirts or his purple and black jackets if he’s not wearing the- the other one with the things on it and he has the, um, the tattoos on his arms. Oh! And daddy wears glasses too just like me!”

Patton’s hands are flying as he eagerly describes his fathers, those very pink, circular frames sliding down his nose a little so he clumsily pushes them back up, much like how his daddy does.

“Okay, sweet, I’ll keep an eye out.”

Then she’s standing back up and helping another kid into their coat.

Patton can’t help rocking back and forth on the plastic chair, still full of energy, as the minutes pass.

Finally the doors to the gym open and Patton is out of his seat in a moment. 

“Daddy! Papa!” Patton yells, voice echoing off the almost empty gym’s walls, and he’s immediately clinging onto a very tall man’s leg and making grabby hand to the man next to him.

The man with the small child attached to him is the one with naturally fair hair and dyed blue tips, his face a little too serious but eyes fond behind those square frames and his lips pulled into a smile. He’s wearing smart dark blue jeans and a black shirt under a leather jacket with metal spikes on the shoulders.

The other who’s crouching down to Patton’s level and smiling softer than the other as he gives him a hug, his purple hair obscuring his face and his eyeliner smeared eyes and his hair almost exactly matches the purple in his leather jacket. His t-shirt is black as are his ripped jeans, far less formal than the other man’s attire.

“Patty!” The purple haired man says, his voice quieter than expected, and he squeezes Patton tight, “we’re so sorry we’re late, darling, your daddy was late out, silly daddy, so I had to wait and we had to stop there was a problem with the car, well, we’re here now, bean.”

He pauses to take a breath, Patton looking at him with wide eyes and such love, and the other man puts a hand on his shoulder seemingly calming him.

“Is okay, papa,” Patton babbles, “I knew you’d come for me, daddy wouldn’t forget.”

And Patton hugs him clumsily, trying to get his little arms as far around his papa as possible.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, star,” the other man - Patton’s daddy - says, hand ruffling Patton’s hair, not enough to disturb the clips there.

All of a sudden Patton wriggles out of his papa’s grip and bound towards the young teacher.

“I found my daddy and my papa,” he explains, pointing in the direction of the punk couple watching Patton, “so I can go home now, right, Miss?”

“Sure thing, sweet,” she says, putting a hand on Patton’s shoulder for a moment, “I’ll see you next week and maybe make sure your daddies come a little earlier next week.”

Patton utters out a quick, “okay!” before bounding off to his fathers, grabbing one of their hands before grabbing for the other, his little backpack bouncing as he skips out the doors.

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Part 2?

Reblog and/or comment if you enjoy it. You could also buy me a coffee!

[frangipanidownunder]

Fox Mulder’s Guide to Building a Pool: part 2

Read Part 1

A/N This is in answer to an anon prompt: Mulder builds a pool in the yard. It ran away from me so I’ll post it in two parts.

This is set post IWTB and assumes Season 10 didn’t happen. Because it shouldn’t have, am I right? Angsty to start with.

Winter

November rushed headlong into house and yard with blizzards and ice storms and squealing winds under the doors. The pool project remained as frozen as the ground but his brain was always planning. Winter was the end of things, yet, even as he scraped freezing condensation from the inside of the windows, he felt a kind of resurgence. Like his bare, unadorned spirit had rested enough to begin anew. It helped that he spoke to Scully often, random phone calls, text messages with links to articles she’d found on cryptid sightings or arcane deaths. Her emoji use was spot on. Aliens and foxes and ghosts and a solitary blue heart.

Christmas Eve and she sent him a message about a sighting of a ‘gargantuan, hirsute humanoid’ in a Florida forest and after reading it with a sense of comforting familiarity and relieved distance, he googled the meaning of the blue heart. Trust, harmony, peace and loyalty. Reading into emojis had to rank right up there on the Fox Mulder Chart of Weirdness but the idea of it, that she had carefully researched this colour and chosen it as the one to close off her messages to him, took root in his own heart and he felt a burst of that same restless energy that had plagued him for months.

He walked to the back door, chancing a look out. A smirry rain fell, leaving the bare branches oily in the low light. Further around, the pool, sunk below the hard, cold earth was a gaping dark mouth, the concrete bearing the marks of months of bad weather. In one corner, debris from the yard had collected, twigs and small stones, plastic wrapping floating in the grimy pool of melted snow that covered the base.

The sound of her voice as she picked up the call pulled a smile to his lips. She sounded pleased to hear from him. Excited almost.

“Hey.” It was an extended version of her usual greeting. A stretching of the word into something more. His heart skipped. “I know you don’t celebrate, but Happy Christmas, Mulder.”

It would have been typical for him to make some flippant remark about stockings or mistletoe but instead, he raked up the trash in the pool as he wished her season’s greetings and listened to her stories of wrapping gifts for the kids at work and the terribly formal staff dinner where the turkey was overcooked and the hasselbacks were rubbery and she left early so she could pull on her pyjamas and robe and watch It’s a Wonderful Life and then, after a breathy pause, added, that it wasn’t the same on her own.

“What’s that noise?” she asked.

He could have said it was the sound of his heart breaking free of his ribcage but he shook his head at himself and took a deep breath. “Would you believe me if I said I was cleaning the pool?” She laughed and he burst right through her green light. “Did you want to come over, Scully?”

She would very much love to, she said, and he held the phone to his chest while he scraped out the detritus against the side wall one-handed. The first flake of snow landed and he looked up to the silver heavens and whispered a thank-you.

Guilt crept in when he saw a parcel in her hand. “I didn’t get you anything, Scully.” He took her coat, the bag of groceries and the gift and she said she’d forgive him and he grinned at her as he rattled the box until she tutted and snatched it back from him.

“I’ll put it under the tree,” she said but the living room was empty of seasonal decor and she looked down at the gift and her feet and he wondered if he could pull out all the boxes in the attic to retrieve the decorations but she shook her head and laughed through her nose. “Don’t worry about it.” She could still read him like a book.

The intensity of the storm took them by surprise, heaping snow against the window sills and the door and Scully’s car until everything was silent-white and glistening. He poured brandy over ice and she sank into the couch next to him wrapped in a blanket and wearing a resigned smile.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I’m not due at mom’s until New Year. I was going to be working but that changed, so I have no plans.” She squeezed his knee and there was a glint in her eye that had him almost believing that she’d engineered the weather, just like that Holman guy from years before, but Dana Scully MD was no lovelorn meteorologist. She was the sender of blue heart emojis, the bringer of turkey steaks and farmer’s market vegetables, she was the best present ever, the three wise men and more.

She was also a little tipsy, he thought, eyeing her reddened cheeks and the way she shucked off her boots to tuck her ankles under her ass. He hadn’t seen her so loose for years. He’d spent too long ignoring her that by the time she left she was coiled like wire rope and just as cool to touch.

“If this storm keeps up maybe we can skate on your pool,” she said and giggled, pressing her fingers under her nose.

“You want to rush me to ER with multiple fractures on Christmas morning, Scully?” He swallowed the liquor.

Her face straightened and she cleared her throat. “It will be strange, won’t it, being here tomorrow? Waking up on Christmas morning together. It’s not something we’ve done for…”

“Three years,” he said and let that settle between them before adding, “but I’m looking forward to it.”

“Because it feels like we’ve moved past…all that?”

All that. All that rage and disappointment. All that bitterness and rancour. All that unsaid. Too much said. “Because it feels fated,” he said. And she pulled a face. “Preordained, inexorable.”

“Destined,” she said, leaning forward. “Portentous?”

He chuckled. “That has a negative connotation, like foreshadowed. It’s more ominous than auspicious.”

“I’m going to have to take back that Thesaurus and buy you something else, Mulder.” She nodded to the present on the table.

“I used to be poor,” he said and she quirked her eyebrow. “Then my partner bought me a thesaurus and now I’m impecunious.”

Her snort was half-laugh, half-surprise. “We’re not…”

“I know.”

The next morning dawned clear and Mulder was already awake. Had hardly slept. Like a child at Christmas, he thought wryly, impatient for his gift. Scully wasn’t for unwrapping though. At this stage, he was lucky she was here to decorate his living room. The brightest star. An angel.

She was dressed in his old anorak he’d used years before to clear the yard when they first moved in. It surrounded her like a canoe, pointed hood above her head and falling to almost her ankles. She was dragging something behind her, leaving a thick trail through the snow. Mulder opened the door and she huffed through, revealing her treasure – a small pine tree, dripping melting snow in grey piles on the floor.

He found a box of decorations behind a wall of old books, dusted them off and climbed back down the ladder. She’d made cocoa and found marshmallows from that Mary Poppins bag of hers. She added a dash of brandy with a hair of the dog wink and they made the tree pretty.

Flipping pancakes, he watched her as she sat in the chair near the window, wrapped now in one of his sweaters, pink-stockinged feet crossed. “If you squint through these blinds, Mulder, and use your imagination, of which you received a wild and overly large share, it looks like there’s a snow monster in the pool.”

“Are you still drunk, Scully?” He bent beside her, close enough to see the dark skin on the mole above her lip.

“I am not, look! There. See it? It’s got shifty eyes and a long nose.”

He rubbed at his own features and she jabbed his hand away.

“It’s there. I swear. Come on, I’ll show you.” She shot up and dragged him outside where the cold shrunk his skin around his bones. The sky threatened to unload again and she shivered despite her layers. He slunk an arm around her shoulders and she swayed into him. “There. Look. See?” Her finger pointed but he couldn’t have seen a thing beyond the fact that she was there, right next to him in the dead of winter, gesticulating to a lump of frozen water.

“At least when Frosty the Snowmonster dies, the pool will be quarter full,” he said, holding open the door for her. She dipped under his arm and it felt like old times.

Spring

Blossom hugged the ends of branches, pom-poms of pink dipping on the breeze. The sun was watery-warm and birdsong amplified the hope of the season. He’d tiled the pool himself, enjoying he exact nature of the work. The water delivery contractor was late but the from his vantage point on the front deck, Mulder couldn’t care less. Just for an hour or so, he could afford to do nothing. He told himself he deserved it. He let his eyes slip shut.

“Can’t a girl get a fanfare any more?” Scully was standing at the foot of the steps, casual in blue jeans and a fitted mint-green tee, her hair was pulled back in a scruffy ponytail that usually signified she was about to get messy.

He made trumpet noises and she bowed when she reached the deck. From her tote she took out a bag of pastries. He liked this version of Scully. He liked her very much. This soft, coquettish variety gave him hope like the spring and made him feel lighter.

“I’ll make coffee,” he said and ushered her through with a theatrical wave.

The truck arrived two hours late but that was two hours passed with Scully who spent her time asking questions about the pump and the pool fence requirements and whether he was going to plant a garden and how much she loved the mosaic tile design on the bottom and whether he’d considered a shade sail. She wrinkled her nose and her freckles danced. He had a vision of her sunburnt and cranky.

“I’ll order one before the heat hits,” he said, solemnly.

“Don’t do it just for me,” she said, over the din of the hose being unravelled from the truck.

As though he would do anything for anyone else. He’d spent much of the time since the Father Joe case doing things only for himself. He couldn’t see it then, but his focus had narrowed beyond the scope of voiceless victims, beyond the purview of his domestic responsibilities and from his refreshed perspective, he could see now how Scully had been cut out of his orbit.

“Did you imagine this when we first moved in here?”

“You designing and constructing a pool, sundeck and safety fence? Mulder, when we first moved here you couldn’t have built a house of cards. Remember when the screen door fell off the hinges and you tried to fix it but ended up breaking the drill. You were so angry, a wounded animal fighting off any help. I thought…” she covered her eyes with her hand to watch the water running over the bottom of the pool, steadily rising, filling the void. “I should have left sooner. Maybe you would have rediscovered this…this spirit of yours earlier.”

“You think your leaving prompted me to do all this?”

“Didn’t it?”

“It took more than three years of you not…”

She sucked in a breath and it dawned on him that she was still hurting too. Would it ever stop? Or was the pain destined to be a constant companion to remind them of their failings? Was building a pool really just a diversion from the agony of Scully being gone? Was her position at the hospital just her version of a building project? She was building herself a better life and he was building a pool.

“I’m sorry,” she said, reaching for his hand and squeezing gently. “For not trying harder.”

The drone of the truck’s motor stuttered to a halt and he looked down at her. She was gazing at the water as it slapped at the sides, settling. “You have nothing to apologise for, Scully. I closed off, shut down, kept you out and then got mad at you when you made a new life.”

“We were both pretty closed off, Mulder. Talking for hours but never saying enough. Remember how we used to spend days on the road and never have to say a thing. We could go for miles in silence. It didn’t bother us then, so when did that change?”

“I think the truth of it is that we were both just talking at each other, trying to get our voices heard, but we didn’t care to listen for fear of actually hearing.”

She raised those brows of hers and smiled. “That’s very deep and heartfelt.”

The truck reversed and he looked down at the water and the moving outline of the blue love heart he’d tiled at the bottom of the pool. “Just like my pool.”

The first time she came over for a swim, she presented him with a new beach towel. It had a fox face on it and she was so proud of herself. She let him splash her and she bombed him and he didn’t want her to leave but he watched her drive away and sat on the verandah for hours after the sun went down.

She phoned to say she was coming over again and that gave him an idea. After all, he owed her two gifts now. So he went online and shopped.

Taking the parcel, she dipped her head in gratitude. “This better not be a beach towel with Big Blue on it, Mulder, or I swear to God…” She ripped the package open scattering paper everywhere. She held it up. It was a one-piece swimsuit the colour of those Caribbean island beaches, azure, the colour of her eyes. She pulled a face, whispering a wow and telling him he shouldn’t have because people might talk.

“Let them talk,” he called out, as she slipped into the house to change. “What else could they say about us that we haven’t heard already, Mrs Spooky.”

When she returned, she was wearing the bathing suit and a knee-length cream sarong. She pulled a wide-brimmed hat out of her bag and went to put it on but he stopped her.

“Just one more thing,” he said, finding the smaller parcel. “This is a very late birthday or really early Christmas present. Take your pick.”

“Another gift? You already got me this suit and I’m wondering if I should really spend the afternoon with a man who buys lingerie for a single woman…”

“It’s lingerie?” His voice was high-pitched because he was genuinely curious and a little sorry about her use of the word single which seemed unnecessary but she grinned wickedly and he breathed out in relief. “Damn. If I’d have known that I would have bought that red lace number…”

“Don’t push your luck, Mulder.”

The small gift was wrapped in silver frosted paper decorated with a gold bow. She opened this one with much more care and when she lifted the lid and saw the silver chain with the blue topaz heart pendant, her eyes filled with tears. “It’s beautiful, Mulder. You shouldn’t have. It’s too much.”

“Trust, harmony, peace and loyalty. Blue hearts. That’s what they mean.”

“Uh-huh.” She turned and he clipped the necklace under the hair. “You’re reading a lot into an emoji.” Was he? Maybe. Did he care? Not much. She turned to face him, stood on tiptoe and kissed him, softly, gently, with love. “But you’ve always looked beyond the obvious. And that’s why I love you.”

Love. Not loved. He took her hand and walked her to the edge. “Ready?”

She didn’t answer but tugged at his wrist and pulled him forward so they both plunged into the deep blue, going down and down.

[antichristsxbox]

We Don’t Play - Part Three

Weird story: I tried editing this from mobile and it deleted the entire body of this post, but it kept the actual post itself! What the heck? This is the fic again but sorry if there’s any weird typos or anything else messed up/not from the original version I posted, I just copied and pasted this from the folder where I save all my writing. That was so strange, I guess I’m never editing on mobile again!

Summary: Part three to Hawthorne!Michael x Cheerleader!Reader fic! Find parts one and two on my masterlist. 

From the writer: In case you don’t know what a toe touch is (a jump mentioned in this fic) here’s a picture of me doing one! :)

Word count: 1,524

A soft rustling noise is what rouses you from your deep slumber. Michael is sitting up on the edge of the bed, phone in hand. It’s only seven o’clock, according to your watch, but class starts in an hour and you need to get ready. Spending the night over at Michael’s was nice, but it’s back to reality now. You reach over to feel for your phone, only find Michael’s.

“What are you doing, Babe?” you say, sitting up and shifting to be next to him. He’s staring at your lock screen, empty except for a notification from Kyle that reads ‘see you tonight,’ with a red heart emoji. It also doesn’t help that there’s a blue heart emoji next to his name in your contacts.

“Why are you seeing him tonight?” Michael says, looking up with sad, puppy dog eyes. His voice is hushed. There’s no note of anger or defiance in his tone as he hands you back your phone. He seems defeated, although you wish you could convey how you feel Michael is superior to anybody you’ve been interested in, period. He stands up and takes a sip from his water on the bedside table, setting the glass down with a soft clink!

“We have a game tonight,” you say, standing up and coming behind him to wrap your arms around his waist and pull him close. It’s nothing. It really is at this point, although you know saying that would not help Michael feel any batter, and would possibly make him feel worse about the situation. Still, there must be a way to keep Michael happy as well as your spirit buddy.

“Just go in and delete the heart from his name, and add one to yours while you’re at it,” you say, handing him back your phone before standing on your toes to place a soft kiss on his cheek. There’s nothing in your phone you’d be uncomfortable with him seeing, so there’s no hesitation when the phone is released from your grasp and entrusted to Michael’s firm grasp. You hope that Michael could sense that you trust him. It still may be too early to make things official, but if things are looking up, Michael may mention it before you do.

The familiar brisk air of opening the doors to the court— it wraps around you and sends shivers down your spine. Today is a big game. A team from Los Angeles took a trip up here to play the Locks, and they brought a fan bus with them too. There’s a good crowd for both teams, but the opposing team has many rowdy people in the bleachers already, and the boys are only warming up. Michael isn’t here yet, but he’ll most likely be here soon.

Kyle is ready to take the pre-game hype pictures, and you’re checking to make sure Michael isn’t here to witness you with his one-sided rival. Kyle picks you up bridal style and you wrap your arm around his neck and smile for his Snap story. Leg popped in the air, poms in hand, and gleaming smile. Only the best for your boys that dunk.

“I’m having a little party in my room tonight, do you think you’d wanna come over?” he asks as he gently puts you down.

That sounds fun, and you immediately accept his invite. It’s for the rest of the senior players and cheerleaders, which are all a really nice crowd. Hopefully Michael won’t be too upset you won’t see him for long tonight.

Players flood the court, and the game starts off smoothly. The boys already have a score of 20-5 by the time the first quarter is over. Those Los Angeles boys should have just stayed home.

“You traveled! You walked! You took too many steps! The next time you walk will be to the B-U-S!” you cheer, beckoning your poms towards the door. It’s a penalty on the opposing side, so you make your way to the edge of the court and do a toe touch while Kyle shoots his free throw. As you land and look up, you see Michael sitting on the top row bleachers. He gives a nod of approval and smiles, so you take a small step forward and wave with your poms.

As the game comes to a close in the fourth quarter, the boys have an overwhelming score of 72-16. Los Angeles got absolutely demolished. Freaking crushed. Why didn’t they forfeit earlier? Anyways, you spring up from your seat and make your way towards the door to cheer for the players as they exit. When Kyle passes by, he gives you a firm hug and soft smile. As the last player exits, you make your way to the cheer room and grab your belongings before heading for your dorm.

“Hey, Babe,” Michael says, and you turn around to greet him. His blonde curls frame his face perfectly, although they look a bit astray and wild— that’s what makes it perfect, though. Your cute, bed-headed Antichrist-warlock-boytoy.

“I can’t stay for long, I’ve got to go to a party,” you say, pulling your hand away and motioning towards your dorm room. You’ve got to change out of your uniform and into something more comfortable.

“Can I come with? It’ll be fun,” he says, catching up with you as you walk. Although you’d like him to come with, drama would likely ensue if he realized it was a part thrown by Kyle, and in his room no less.

“It’s invite-only, Babe, I wish though,” you say, giving a little frown face as you turn around and and continue on-course to your room.

The music is already bumping, and the door is propped open with a sideways-turned can of Four Loko. No chill, apparently. There would be hell to pay if an administrator walked by, so you quickly pick up the Four and replace the door jam with a lone shoe. There’s nothing worse than a warm Four Loko, so you down a shot of Tito’s poured from an Evian bottle. Although alcohol is strictly prohibited here, off-campus lunch allows for people to sneak around and buy some to bring back to campus. It’s a Friday night, and you’re going to live it up like any other normal teenager would, boarding school or not.

As you walk over to the dorm desk turned mini bar to reach for a chaser, a hand moves the bottle of cranberry juice out of your reach. You look up to taunt whoever it was, but you quickly see that it’s Michael.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” he says, raising an eyebrow and clicking his tongue.

“You, outside, now,” you say, taking his hand and pulling him past the many other people that were now in this tiny room.

“Why do you do this to me? Saying it’s just a party and ending up in his room?” he says, a stern look on his face as he looks down at you. He is so possessive. It is so unwarranted, especially because you two aren’t official yet. Something in you snaps, and you’re tired of him being so overbearing.

“I am not your fucking girlfriend! Snap-maps tracking my ass down, finding out where I am because you can’t stand to be alone, fuck off!”

A wave of your hand and a stomp on your foot is all you leave him with before kicking the door jam sneaker inside and slamming the door in his face.

“Who was that?” Kyle says, pushing through the crowd of people and placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Nobody,” you say, turning around to face the now-quiet room of people. The music had stopped as you slammed the door shut. The music resumes as Kyle steps back forward in the room of people, and you follow as approach the desk again to mix your chaser with another shot.

As two shots turned into three, you realized it was now getting late, and you should be heading back to your room for some rest. Although you never tended to accomplish much on Saturdays, keeping a somewhat regular sleep schedule has always proven to be a good idea. Your feet stumble under you as you exit Kyle’s room, and a quick goodnight is all you could muster before closing the door behind you. Before you graduate, you vow to learn to handle your liquor a little better than you have recently.

The soft, blue glow from your phone lights up as a notification from Michael comes through.

“Text me when you’re up, we can go to breakfast,” his message reads.

It takes a solid minute to think of a good reply to this, so you settle on the pink heart emoji before finishing your journey to your room and going to bed, fully clothed in what you’re wearing now, shoes and all. Having a party after a long game like that is really too tiring— that won’t be happening again anytime soon.

[have-each-others-six]

face to the wind, eyes to the sun (pt. four)

part one

part two

part three

yet again, hello!

there are two more parts and then an epilogue of sorts left, so let’s hold on to our seats, shall we?

also, big credit to @the-quiet-winds for the idea of ‘katherine seymour’. she came up with it in her own fics and i love it so much.

***

three.

When they step outside, everyone’s still pulling on hats and gloves and scarves, so they make a bit of uncoordinated mess as they walk into the sidewalk.

Jane makes sure Katherine’s pink pom-pom hat is snug over her head, and adjusts her scarf a little bit so she’ll be warmer.

“How are you feeling, love?” she asks her, and when she looks at Katherine’s face, she sees that her eyes are red from crying.

It breaks Jane, shatters something deep within the chambers of her heart, to see her baby girl completely hopeless like this.

“I keep seeing them,” Katherine says softly, and Jane doesn’t need to ask who ‘them’ is. 

A vicious anger spreads through her, coupled with deep sadness, the combination of emotions that always overwhelms her when Kat talks about her past life.

Whenever she mentions the men that hit her and clawed at her skin and pushed her dress up roughly around her waist, Jane just wants to curl up around Katherine and shield her from everything awful in the world.

Her feisty, sweet, intelligent girl had once been reduced to nothing more than an object to give men pleasure, and in a few short hours she’ll be back with them, forced to look in their eyes as her head is-

Is-

Jane can’t even begin to think about it.

“Let’s just have fun today as best we can, yeah?” she suggests, taking Kat’s gloved hand in her own. “If it’s too much, we’ll just go home and drink some tea and talk. Sound good?”

Katherine nods, and Jane playfully pokes her daughter’s nose, eliciting the ghost of a smile. “That’s my girl.”

“All right, where we headed, then?” Anna shouts over the din of the snowy city street.

“Wherever the winds take us!”

As Anne says that, turning and spreading her arms out wide in a very dramatic fashion, a breeze blows through, whirling the snow in spirals all around them, and Anne grins up at the sky like it’s in on a joke.

“Okay then, the wind says we go this way,” Anne states, turning right as the sidewalk curves.

“Weren’t we going to the park?” Parr asks, but Anne waves off her question.

“This is crazy,” Aragon grumbles. “Anne, you’re going to get us run over.”

Jane feels a strange sort of bitterness in her heart then, and she holds back a response that since they’re already going to die, it doesn’t matter anyway, does it?

She feels Kat squeeze her hand, like she knows that Jane needs something to ground her right now, and she gives her daughter a grateful smile, kissing her forehead as they walk down a road lined with cute little shops.

“Aha! Animal crackers!” Anne shouts, stopping and pointing inside a corner store, where they can see through the window that there are indeed animal crackers by the cash register. “I’m going in.”

“I’ll go with her,” Anna sighs. “She’ll buy the whole store’s supply otherwise.”

“No, you stay, I’ll go,” Parr volunteers. “She’ll probably listen to me.”

Anna nods and doesn’t argue, clearly exhausted, and Parr follows Anne into the shop.

“How about you? I know you wanted to go to the park, so we’ll do that later, but is there anything special you’d like to do today, love?” Jane asks Kat, putting an arm around her daughter as they wait on the bench.

“Actually…” Katherine starts to reply softly, “...do you think we could check out that French pastry shop? We always say we’re going to, but we never do, because you say you don’t know French.”

“Bien sûr, ma chérie,” Jane responds, grinning. “Of course, my darling. See? I know some French!”

“Will you be able to order anything, though?” Katherine questions her, giggling. “Or will you accidentally order a dead rabbit like you did when we went out for German?”

Katherine’s entire face lights up when she laughs, a reprieve from the grief and fear that’s been surrounding her, and Jane feels an overwhelming relief that her girl is smiling again.

“I can’t help the fact that apparently the way I say ‘hamburger’ somehow sounds very similar to ‘hasenpfeffer’,” Jane says, pretending to defend herself but mispronouncing the words on purpose to bring that light back into Kat’s eyes.

“Anna was so offended.”

“I thought she was really going to bash me over the head with her plate for a second when I was trying to read things off the menu.”

“Well, this French bakery is supposedly a bit more low key. I don’t think there’ll be any plate-smashing,” Katherine explains. She looks genuinely happy, and it melts Jane’s heart.

“Who wants to go to a patisserie?” Jane asks the group, standing up and clapping her hands together. “Kat and I are heading over there now, if anybody wants to come with.”

“Eh, we’ll wait here. Once Anne’s done inside we’ll come over and meet you, okay? Just text us the address,” Aragon says, easily laying out the plan.

Kat gives her a thumbs-up as Jane texts Aragon the location, and then they head over to the bakery.

“This feels strange,” Katherine remarks, pulling on her coat sleeves a little nervously.

“How so?” Jane responds, looking at her expression for a clue to her feelings. However, Katherine’s usually easily readable face is blank, so Jane just takes her daughter’s gloved hand in her own, trying to wordlessly give her support.

“We’re going to a pastry shop, and I’m getting beheaded tonight.”

It feels like all the warmth has been stolen from Jane’s body as Katherine speaks, because she remembers that tonight she’s losing everything.

She stops walking, rooted to the spot in abject terror as snow gathers in her hair.

“Mum? Mum, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Katherine’s panicking now, or close to it, and that manages to snap Jane out of staring blankly forward, consumed by images of her daughter’s head being chopped off.

“No, no, honey, no. Don’t apologize, sweetheart. I’m fine,” Jane reassures her, pushing Kat’s hair out of her face and ignoring the anxious pounding of her own heart. “Just got a little cold, that’s all.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Jane gives her a shaky smile. “I don’t think ‘okay’ is achievable today, love.”

A steely look of determination appears on Kat’s face. She’s the sweetest girl in the world, but she knows how to be serious when she needs to be.

“Here’s what we’re going to do, mum,” she says, and Jane would be thrown by the change in tone, but she can see the way that Katherine’s eyes are welling with tears and knows that her daughter’s trying to be strong for her. So she stays quiet, and she listens.

“We’re going to go into this pastry shop, and buy some pastries, and we’re not going to talk about dying. Once we’re out of the shop, we can be as depressing and morbid as we like, but right now I think we both just need to try French desserts and talk about boring things.”

Jane can see the way Katherine’s standing, ready for a fight, like she’s about to punch away the grief surrounding them. 

“We can promise, okay?” Jane says, holding up her pinky finger, and Katherine grins in response after linking hers with Jane’s.

“I, Katherine Seymour, solemnly swear not to discuss death in this establishment.”

“I, Jane Seymour, also solemnly swear not to discuss death in this establishment with the addendum of not discussing anything morbid.”

They nod seriously and unlink their fingers, but the second they step apart, Katherine’s anxious anger is back.

“All right, love,” Jane replies, prying apart Kat’s clenched fists and lacing her fingers with her own. She takes a moment to breathe, and then gives Katherine her brightest smile. “Let’s go in.”

Compared to the snowy and grey cold of outside, the pastry shop is warm and bright, and Jane can feel herself relaxing slightly.

There’s a bit of a line, so the two of them get plenty of time to decide what to get for themselves and the other queens.

When they reach the front, the cashier bags up what they want to order, and Katherine takes it to a table while Jane pays. As she puts her credit card in, the cashier starts talking.

“You two are really close for a mother and daughter,” she says, a slight French accent in her voice. “When I was this age, I hated my mother and she hated me. It’s… it’s really nice to see that isn’t always true.”

“Oh, well, that’s lovely of you to say,” Jane replies, sort of unsure how to respond.

“How do you do it? Not fight, I mean.”

“Well…” Jane starts, looking over at Katherine, at a table by the window, sitting on her hands so she won’t eat the pastries without Jane. She feels a soft warmth in her chest, just behind her ribs. “I love her,” she answers simply. “I love her so much that I don’t know what I would do without her. She makes the sun shine brighter and the night feel calmer and when I hear her laugh, it makes me feel like I can brave anything the world can throw at me. I can’t imagine falling into a petty catfight with her about her clothes or cleaning her room, because after loving someone that much, everything else seems to sort of pale in comparison.”

Jane takes a breath, noticing the way her voice is catching with emotion.

“She’s my daughter,” she says softly. “She means the world to me. I couldn’t bear to lose her over something trivial.”

There’s a line behind Jane now, but the cashier’s eyes have filled with tears. “Thank you,” she whispers. “I really… I needed to hear that today.”

Jane smiles, puts back her credit card, and leaves a pound in the tip jar before heading over to her beautiful, smart, brave girl.

“Mum, I swear you can talk to anyone about anything. You were up there for literal years,” Katherine laughs, teasing her. “What were you even talking about?”

“Just about how lucky I am,” Jane says, pulling out a St. Honoré cream pastry and handing it to Kat, licking the extra sugar off of her fingers. 

“How do you mean?” Katherine asks, tilting her head and taking a bite of the flaky treat, cream smearing onto her nose as she does so.

Jane wants to cry, but she holds it back, giving her daughter a watery smile. “I mean you, sweetheart.”

“Really?”

Katherine’s eyes are brown and trusting when she looks over at Jane, but there’s the barest hint of disbelief there, like she doesn’t quite believe that this isn’t all a ruse to get something from her, like Jane can’t possibly mean her.

So Jane takes her hand, and she looks into those eyes that show the trauma and hurt deep inside, and she nods.

“Really, truly.”

The last bit of distrust vanishes from Katherine’s gaze, and her smile becomes completely real.

“I’m lucky too, Mum.”

They sit in a comfortable silence, eating their pastries and watching the world go by outside the window, until the other queens show up, waving from the other side of the glass.

They stall in leaving, cleaning up the table and pushing in the chairs, because they know that when they leave the shop, their promise doesn’t apply and anything is fair game, and it’s so nice to live in a bubble for a moment where they don’t have to think about their impending deaths.

“Ready?” Kat says, standing firmly in front of the door.

“Ready.”

They hold onto each other’s hands in a vice grip as they walk through the door, trying to prepare for whatever comes next.

[emeraldwaves]

Title: Warmer Than Before Pairing:  Kacchako Rating: T Word Count:  3,662 Read on Ao3 Summary:  

Bakugou Katsuki has never been a part of a ‘couple’ on Christmas Eve. He’s not quite sure what to do with his "not really girlfriend" Uraraka Ochako, but he’s determined to make it the best Christmas date possible.

Wrote this for the @kacchakoholidayzine !! I was so so honored to be a part of this amazing project with amazing artists and writers!!!! Thank you to everyone who supported it!! :D <3

Full fic under the cut    

"Dude! Christmas Eve is for couples! You didn't know that?"

Kirishima's words hit Bakugou like he's hardened his fist with his quirk and smacked him across the face.

Couples. Couples.

Fucking... couples.

He folds his arms and flops back against the couch. "Yeah, I knew." He didn't. Like hell he's gonna tell Kirishima that. "What about it?"

The red-head blinks. "You're not going to do something with Uraraka?"

Bakugou snorts; the sound is loud and echoes in the dorm common area. He and Uraraka are not a couple. Okay, occasionally they spar, or eat together, or she'll brush her hand against his, and he'll give her a kiss goodnight cause he can't resist her cute, pouting lips. But still...

Bakugou shrugs. "We're not a couple."

"You don't think that'll make her sad?"

A growl slips out of Bakugou's lips. The last thing he wants to do is make her sad. "What the hell am I supposed to do then!?"

Kirishima smirks, an expression Bakugou wishes to punch right off his cheeky face. "I thought you just said you weren't a couple."

Bakugou narrows his eyes, glaring at his idiotic friend.

"Okay, okay! I dunno, most couples go out to dinner and spend time together or something!" Kirishima explains, shaking his head.

When he thinks about it, he realizes he's never been on a real date with Uraraka. Probably because they're not a couple. Which would make... Christmas Eve their first real date.

"You okay?" Kirishima asks, interrupting his thoughts.

"I gotta figure some shit out," he says, pushing himself off the couch.

Christmas Eve is only a few days away, and Bakugou refuses to not put his all into everything he does. If he's going to take Uraraka on a date, it's going to be the best damn date she's ever been on.

He whips out his phone and pulls up her chat.

[Text Pink Cheeks]: You. Me. Christmas Eve. Date.

Almost immediately, his phone lights up.

[Text from Pink Cheeks]: A date? Like a real date?

He can picture her face, eyes wide, blinking in shock at the concept of him actually taking her out. He groans, wishing he realized all this fucking sooner.

[Text Pink Cheeks]: What the fuck do you think?

He slams his fingers against the screen of his phone, his finger pushing on the send button.

[Text from Pink Cheeks]: Okay! I'm staying at my parents' house for the holidays. See in you a few days.

He shoves his phone into his pocket, rubbing his finger over the edge of the device. He has no idea what he's going to do, but he does know it's going to be the best fucking date.

~~

It's snows the day before Christmas Eve, which seems appropriate. The snow coats the ground, though Bakugou can't stand the goddamn stuff. It's wet and freezing, and he hates having to struggle to use his quirk, not that he really has to worry about that tonight.

He stands outside Uraraka's house, tucking his lips behind the collar of his jacket as he huffs out a long breath of air. Tonight is gonna be fucking perfect.

Bakugou steps up to the porch, knocking on the front door. "I'll be back!" he hears her yell inside. Within seconds, she opens up, standing before him, looking as fucking cute as she always does. He's glad the cool winds have kissed his cheeks, reddening them enough to hide the stupid blush he has from staring at her.

She's completely decked out in winter gear. She's got her dark jacket zipped all the way up, a pink skirt with black leggings, tall winter boots, and of course, a pink hat with a cute little pom-pom on top and matching gloves. So her.

"Hi Bakugou-kun," she smiles, tucking her hands behind her back as she shuts the door behind her.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbles and takes her gloved hand in his own, pulling her away from the house.

"So..." she says, walking next to him, her arm resting against his. "A real date, huh?"

"Shut it," he grumbles. "Just enjoy it."

She giggles, her smile glowing under the street lamps lining the road. "Okay, Bakugou-kun. So where are we going then?"

"It's a damn surprise."

He leads her to the park, happy when she walks beside him, mostly in silence. That's one thing he adores about her. She doesn't feel the need to incessantly talk at him all the damn time.

They may not be an official couple, but right now, he doesn't mind acting like one.

"Ooo," she says, her eyes widening as they step into the park. "The park? How festive!" she smiles, swinging their hands a bit.

For the holiday season, the local park by Uraraka's house put up a small skating rink for people to enjoy. Skates were available to rent, though many patrons brought their own.

Bakugou has never been ice skating, but how hard can it be? He's seen shit in stupid movies before where the guy teaches the girl how to skate and they hold hands and he helps her across the ice or whatever. Sounds stupid. Uraraka will look cute.

"Bakugou-kun!" she gasps, and tugs on his hand. "Let's go skating!"

He clicks his tongue, scoffing. "That's the plan."

"Really?!"

She looks so fucking happy and Bakugou knows he's made the right choice.

He never asked her if she skated before, but she immediately runs over to the booth. Bakugou pays for both of their skates and they sit on the bench by the rink. She pulls off her gloves, tying the skates up. Her fingers are dainty and he stares at the small pads on the tips of them, watching as she laces them up.

She's oddly good at it. This probably isn't her first time... Fucking hell, that will ruin his whole plan.

"Ready?" she asks. He nods and follows her to the entrance of the rink.

Uraraka steps out onto the ice and she's a natural, he can't take his eyes off of her. She twirls, one foot crossing over the other as she turns to face him. Her small pink skirt swishes around her legs, the material brushing up against her black leggings. It's so hard not to fucking stare.

The small pom-poms on her hat bobble with the movement, her face lighting up with excitement. She's back-lit by the lights lining the rink, and it looks like she's glowing. Like a fuckin', Christmas angel or some bullshit; might as well give her a damn halo. Uraraka is so stupidly beautiful.

He watches her from the entrance to the rink, mouth slightly open like some dumbstruck fool. He's staring at her smile, her eyes, her cute idiotic pink hat, her everything.

"C'mon Bakugou-kun! What are you doing?" she calls to him, waiting.

He wants to take it all in, watching his girl. His girl. It's starting to feel so natural now.

Right. He needs to step out onto the ice.

He lifts his foot and places it down on the slippery surface. His arm immediately flails and he falls to the side, gripping the edge of the rink. "The fuck is this!?" he growls.

Uraraka immediately starts to laugh, and though the sound is fuckin' beautiful, Bakugou wants to punch her.

"B-Bakugou-kun..." she giggles. "Have you... ever done this before?"

"'C-Course I have!" A lie. If he admits he's new to this, it's basically the same as admitting he sucks. And he does not suck. At anything.

She smiles at him, pushing her feet forward to stand in front of him. "Bakugou-kun," she says softly. "Give me your hands."

"Hell no!" he snaps and steps away from the wall. The skates slides against the slick ice and he growls. "What the hell is this stupid activity?!" One leg begins to slip forward, and he stumbles towards her, falling against her body.

"Bakugou-kun!" she gasps and grabs his elbows. "Are you okay?"

He glances away from her, his knees trembling as he tries to keep his balance. "This is so fucking stupid."

She laughs again, her voice echoing on the soft winter breeze. Her hands gently slide down his forearms, wrapping her gloved hands around his. "I'll help you."

"I don't need your fucking help, Round Face!" he snaps, but he sure as hell doesn't let go.

"It's okay to not be perfect at things right away," she teases, winking at him.

"Shut. Up," he hisses. "We never mention this to anyone ever again!" he snaps.

"Okay, okay," she smiles and squeezes his hands. With her, the sensation is strange, his chest feels warmer, his breathing shallow, and he probably looks stupid staring at her face with such a dumbass look.

"Okay, I'm going to pull you forward just a bit. Push off of your feet, kind of, uhm, the side... the arch!" she explains, and gives his hands a gentle tug. It's the scene from all the movies he thought of, only she's leading him and he looks like a fucking moron. He pushes forward, his butt sticking out behind him awkwardly. Fuck. He hopes they see no one. If they do, he'll murder them to silence them forever.

"My dad and I used to go skating together a lot when I was a kid," she smiles. "He was the best teacher." Her smile is nostalgic, a distant look in her brown eyes. This date is supposed to make her happy. Not all weird and distant.

"You're... not doing too bad yourself, Uraraka," he says softly.

A blush sprinkles her cheeks, Bakugou is probably gonna puke up his heart it's beating so heavily in his chest. "I'm glad!" she says, her hands squeezing his again. She closes her eyes, her smile pulling wide. Bakugou can't even move she looks so perfect, his legs still trembling against the ice.

"I'm going to let go, okay Bakugou-kun?" she says, breaking him of his daze.

What? No! He wants to yell at her. She can't just let go, not when she's been keeping him stable this entire time. He can't tell her though, not when his pride is on the line and he already looks foolish enough.

"Oi!" he snaps, and her gloved hands slip from his. He's hunched over awkwardly, his knees already trembling and his feet wobble on the blades.

He needs her. She's his damn support!

"It's okay, Bakugou-kun! Just push off a little towards me!" Uraraka urges, her lips quirk into a small smile. Oh, she's loving this.

And it's not okay. Nothing about this is okay! She's making him look like a total idiot, and she's lucky he doesn't destroy the entire rink. Instead, he presses his foot down and pushes towards her.

Her brown eyes widen, glistening against the ice. She looks so damn excited; it makes his stupid heart flutter and his cheeks flush, especially when her lips curl into the perfect smile, her soft giggle resonating in his chest. "See!" she laughs. "You're doing just fine!"

"OI!" he yells, thrusting his finger towards her, the glove hiding his point, "don't underestimate-"

And with that the world falls backwards, his ass smacks against the ice, and he stares up at the stars twinkling in the night sky. Fuck.

"B-Bakugou-kun!"

Small explosions crackle, melting his gloves, the ashes littering the ice. He's gonna kill someone. He wants to say her, but she skates over and looks down at him and he's a fucking goner. The pieces of her hair not tucked in her hat brush against her cheeks, and her brown eyes are filled with such concern. Her face is a rosy red color from the cool air nipping at her skin.

Dammit. He should hate her for humiliating him but he just wants to kiss her.

"Bakugou-kun," she asks, holding out her hand to him. "Are you okay?"

"I swear to fuck, Round Face..." he growls, and hisses when his bare palms touch the ice to push himself up. He immediately clings to the side of the wall.

"Guess we'll have to buy you some new gloves," she giggles softly. She skates forward and takes one glove off, wrapping her hand around his.

"What the hell are you doing?" he grumbles.

"Keeping your hand warm," she smiles.

"Idiot!" he yells, but he doesn't tug his hand away. "Yours are gonna get colder than mine..." he grumbles, and tucks both their hands into his jacket pocket. The motion tugs her closer to him and her cheek presses against his arm.

Her eyes stare up at him and she blinks, her cheeks flushing. "Y-You know... we don't have to ice skate if you don't like it. We should probably go buy you gloves anyway."

"Y-Yeah..." he mutters. The last thing he wants to do is give up, but he doesn't need her skating around and worrying about him. This day is supposed to be for her.

"Let's go shopping!" she cheers and tugs his hand towards the exit of the rink.

He uses the side wall to pull himself towards the exit and glances around, making sure no one saw that skating disaster. Well, no one who matters.

"There's a department store a little ways around the corner," she says. "We can buy gloves there."

She leads him to the store on the corner and when they step inside, Bakugou is bombarded by Christmas. Music plays loudly through the speakers, decorations twinkle and glisten on the wall, hung from the ceiling. There are sales everywhere, and though Bakugou doesn't hate the holiday or anything, it's things like this that make him want to avoid shopping in these places.

Next to him however, Uraraka's eyes light up, taking in all the colorful sights. "It's so festive!" and Bakugou can only grunt in response.

She's glancing around, looking at the signs, when suddenly she gasps. "Wait right here, Bakugou-kun!" she says, her hand slipping from his.

He twists his lips when she dashes off. What the hell is he supposed to do now?!

His red eyes scan the shelves, and he wonders silently if he should get her a present. It is Christmas Eve and this is a date. Don't couples usually exchange gifts tonight too? He grumbles as he shoves his hands into his pockets.

She deserves the best present, and he has no idea if that present is here. There's millions of Christmas decorations, cheap looking jewelry. He wrinkles his nose... if he ever buys shit like that for her, it's gonna be fucking nice.

Then, he sees it; wrapped around the mannequin in front of him is a pink scarf, almost identical in color to her hat. It looks soft and there are small pom-poms on the bottom. It suits her... or rather... he can imagine it decorating her neck.

"Oi," he mutters, leaning against one of the counters. "I'll take that pink scarf."

After paying, he makes his way back to where she left him. Where the hell did she go? He glances around.

"Bakugou-kun!" she calls out, holding a small bag in her hand. "I got you new gloves!" she smiles.

He frowns. "O-Oi! Why did you run off to do that? I could've bought my own damn gloves."

"Well..." she blushes. "It's Christmas and... I thought it could be your present!" She pulls out a pair of black, orange and green gloves, looking coincidentally similar to his hero costume. "They're perfect, right?"

She looks so proud of the find, and really... they are nice. He takes them from her and slips them on. They're warm and comfortable. He really does hate wearing gloves like this... ones he could incinerate so easily, and yet, he can't help but feel the same intense warmth in his heart. This girl... she makes him feel the strangest fucking things.

"Good thing I got you something too when you ran off," he says, reaching into the bag to hand her the small pink scarf.

"O-Oh!" she gasps and picks it up, pushing her nose against it. "It's so soft! And it matches!" she says, holding it up to her hat.

He has to bite his lip not to laugh at her. She looks so silly and happy, and she must've used her quirk on his heart cause it feels like it's floating away. "Glad you caught on genius," he says and takes the scarf from her, wrapping it around her neck, covering up her chin.

She nuzzles her face into it. "Warm. Like you!" she smiles.

He tries not to ignite the new gloves she's just bought him.

"Let's get outta here," he mutters. "It's getting late."

"Oh! One more thing!" she says and reaches back into her bag. "The real reason I dashed off was... for this!" She holds up a red Santa hat and swings it around him, placing it on his head. "Perfect."

"Oi! What the fuck is this?!" he says, pointing to the hat.

"I thought you'd look cute in it. I was right," she winks.

His eyebrow twitches.

She's a demon. Not an angel. A demon.

"Let's go, Uraraka." He shoves his hands into his pocket and storms out of the store.

She follows him and takes his hand, swinging their arms. "Since you're not taking it off, I guess you like it?"

"Shut it," he mutters, heading back towards the park.

There are a row of trees leading back towards the center where the skating rink and other holiday activities are. They line the path, covering the walkway and they're covered in bright white Christmas lights, twinkling against the night sky.

"Let's go this way," she says softly, and tugs his hand towards the path. The small pom-pom on the back of the Santa hat hits his neck, and he silently wonders why he always caves to every whim of this girl. Why he can't bring himself to really ever say no to things she wants and things she wants to do with him?

"Bakugou-kun!" she gasps and turns her face upwards. "It's snowing!" She smiles at him, the twinkling lights behind her glistening on her flushed cheeks. Her nose is painted the gentlest tone of red, the cold obviously getting to her. The pink scarf rests against her chin, the ends flapping against the soft breeze, snowflakes sticking to the soft material. It's a perfect fit for her.

Bakugou watches her lips curl into a happy smile, innocence returning over the excitement of snow on Christmas.

She takes his hand. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah. You fucking are," he mumbles. It's definitely cliche; some asshole has probably used that line in every stupid romantic comedy film he's never watched.

"What?" she whispers, turning her face to meet his eyes, the small poms-poms bounce again.

Bakugou snorts. "You heard me," he growls. His glove brushes across her cheek, cupping the back of her neck as he tugs her towards him, pulling their lips together. He slips his hand around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. Her hands find his shoulders and she presses into the kiss, perfect eyes fluttering shut.

He holds her, snow falling silently around them, the flakes lighting up with the twinkling Christmas lights which line the pathway. He wraps his warm lips around hers, tugging on her lower playfully.

He pulls back slowly, whispering against her lips. "You're my girl... Ochako..." He swallows, the declaration final, as long as she accepts it. Using her first name was maybe a bit of a stretch, but Kirishima is right. They're running out of time; graduation looming on the horizon, and he can't imagine his life without her. He doesn't want anyone else to touch her, to look at her.

He doesn't want to lose her.

"E-Eh?!" she gasps, jerking back to stare at his face, desperately trying to meet his eyes. She wiggles her head and leans her body to the side, trying to find his gaze as he glances in various directions. "Are you asking me out... Katsuki?"

His heart lurches up into his throat, cheeks flushing as red as the stupid Santa hat she bought him. He didn't account for her using his first name back.

Bakugou flicks his red eyes to look at her, seeing how flushed her face is. She looks so cute, lips puckered from their kiss. How could he not call her his girlfriend?! He wasn't a fucking idiot!

"Yeah! What of it!?" he snaps.

"So..." she hums and he sees the playful glint in her eye, "you want me to be your... girlfriend?"

Growling, he rolls his eyes and pokes her forehead. "That's what I just said, idiot."

"No, you just called me 'your girl'," she teases and wraps her gloves around his cheeks, forcing him to stare at her.

"Same fuckin' difference!"

She pushes his cheeks together. "No... say it. Say 'Uraraka Ochako, will you be my girlfriend?'"

He groans. "Forget it, Uraraka! You already know what I want-"

"Say it!" she teases, cutting him off as she tugs on the Santa hat.

Really, she's got him wrapped around her cute little fingers.

"Fine. Uraraka Ochako... will... you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course," she whispers. "I've only been waiting for you to ask me that for months now."

"Oi-"

She doesn't let him speak, pulling his cheeks down so their lips meet in another kiss. She's in control now, or rather, she always has been. Her lips peck at his, pressing against him and he doesn't mind; he wants to stay as close to her as possible. His hands settle on her hips, holding them both in place.

She makes the cold air a little warmer; makes him hate it a little less.

She pulls away, snowflakes melting against her cheeks. Her warm breath floats between their faces, mingling with the winter air. Uraraka presses her forehead to his, her round brown eyes looking so damn happy.

She's perfect, completely fucking perfect.

She smiles and whispers softly, "Merry Christmas, Katsuki."

[ggtwrites]

Hope and a Flower Shop

florist!Taeyang you find yourself at a certain flower shop once again Word count: 2173��

a/n: It is time once again for my annual florist au to celebrate my dear sunshine’s birthday! Yay! This is one of my favorite aus to write, I love it so much!!! And it’s a fun way to celebrate Taeyang’s birthday! I hope if you read it that you enjoy it!!!

You stepped through the door of the shop and the familiar scent of flowers surrounded you as the bell above the door tinkled. Although you had only been there once before, this was a place you would never forget. When you had last been there, it had been to avoid the rain, but this time you were there with a mission, and a hope.

The mission was to get a bouquet of beautiful flowers for your friend’s birthday, the hope was to see a certain handsome florist that worked there. Looking towards the counter, you were greeted by the sight of no one.

“Hello?” You asked with uncertainty in your voice, not seeing anyone amongst the flowers either.

“I’ll be out in a moment!” A voice called from somewhere behind the counter. It sounded like Taeyang, but you couldn’t be sure, it had been a while since you were last there. You glanced at the flowers as you waited, taking in the beauty all around you.

You heard footsteps and looking back to the counter you were greeted with the face you had been hoping to see. When he saw you, his face lit up with a warm smile. Perhaps not as bright a smile as when he talked about flowers, but all the same he did look happy to see you. “Hello, Y/N!” He said cheerfully, making his way towards you.

Blinking with surprise you looked at him. “You remembered my name?”

“Of course!” He said, still smiling warmly. “How could I forget someone like you?”

“Someone like me?” You questioned, trying to hide how flustered his attention made you. It was like the sun was shining directly on you, warming you completely.

Taeyang nodded his head, a smaller smile that was almost a smirk on his lips. “Yes, someone I was hoping to see again. But anyway, my happiness at getting to see you aside, what brings you to my little shop?”

“Oh, well,” you stumbled over your words, his warmth and his words overwhelming you. “I have a friend, with a birthday coming up soon. And I wanted to get them some flowers. I know they like flowers, but they don’t really have a favorite kind. And I remembered this place, and how much you know about flowers, so here I am.”

He smiled with another nod of his head. “Here you are indeed.” His smile faded and was replaced by a serious look on his face, all his focus now on flowers. “Well, does your friend have a favorite color? That might help to narrow down the options.”

You thought for a moment before replying. “Their favorite color is orange, but they also like pink and purple.”

Tapping his chin in thought, Taeyang walked back to the counter and pulled out a book. He gestured for you to come over, and when you did you saw that it was a book of flowers and bouquets. “These are all the different bouquets we currently have the stock to make, as well as some individual flowers if you’d like to make a custom bouquet,” he explained, “we can flip through this and see what would work best.”

“Oh,” he said, looking up from the book, on the verge of asking you a question. His eyes met yours and for a moment both of you forgot all words, trapped in the eyes of the other. The depth of his eyes drew you deeper and deeper, the deep brown color had a warmth to it that you found irresistible. He had such beautiful eyes, and a part of you wished you could gaze at them forever.

After the silence began to be uncomfortable, not a word spoken between the two of you, Taeyang managed to pull his eyes away, breaking the spell he had trapped you in. His cheeks seemed a little redder than they had been before, and yours felt warm.

With a cough he spoke, “Sorry. I mean, well, what I was going to say. You see, I forgot to ask you, what’s the budget for this bouquet for your friend?”

“Um.” Was all you could get out, still a little overwhelmed by the moment that had occurred between the two of you. With a shake of your head you were finally able to get more words out. “I don’t have a budget, I want this to be a really special gift for my friend, so I don’t care about cost.”

“Sounds like a special friend.” Taeyang commented thoughtfully, his voice a little cooler than you had heard before. But then he was back to his focused-on-flowers demeanor, flipping through the pages until he came to one in particular.

He turned the book around so you could see better as he began to point out some bouquets on the page. “This bouquet is a good one for celebrations, it has a lot of bright colors, with orange Asiatic Lilies as the highlight. It doesn’t have any purple flowers, but if you want a more focused color scheme this could be a good choice.” Besides the lilies that he had pointed out, the bouquet also had small red flowers that almost looked to be miniature lilies, soft pink flowers that looked like pom-poms, and fuchsia carnations. This arrangement of brilliantly colored flowers reminded you of the brightest part of a sunset.

You nodded and Taeyang continued on to the next bouquet, pointing to another brightly colored one. However, this one looked less like a sunset, with the creamy orange roses contrasting against the deep colors of the small purple flowers and pink daisies. It also had some yellow chrysanthemums and little bits of greenery, giving the whole bouquet a very vibrant look. “This one was especially designed for birthdays, with a special vase and a little decoration within the flowers.”

“And this bouquet is a lovely one for any occasion. It also has orange lilies, although of a different variety than the other one I showed you, along with sunflowers and pink roses. And,” he paused, looking up at you with a shy smile on his face, his eyes radiating a soft happiness, “it has some purple lisianthus.”

You nodded your head, “Oh yeah! I remember you mentioning them the last time I was here, you like them a lot, don’t you?”

He beamed at you, delighted that you had remembered. “Yes, they’re my favorite flower!”

Looking at the image on the page, you could see the lisianthus. You had learned what they looked like on your last visit, and they were the only purple flower in the bouquet, so it wasn’t hard to spot them. Besides the flowers Taeyang had mentioned, there were also some soft yellow flowers and green flowers accompanied by some soft bits of greenery.

As you studied his suggested bouquets, your finger thoughtfully tapped your chin as you hummed to yourself. It was a hard decision to make, all three options were such beautiful bouquets. However, you did need to decide. “I think I’ll rule out the one that doesn’t have purple,” you told the florist standing patiently next to you, “but between the other two I’m just not sure.”

You tapped your fingers on the pages of the book, your eyes scanning over the two bouquets, “I need to think about this, and pick a good one.”

“They’re all good ones,” Taeyang said with a quiet chuckle, “it’s more a matter of which one is right for the occasion.”

You nodded thoughtfully. “I see your point. I guess then I need to figure out which one is the right one for my friend. They really are so beautiful, it’s hard to choose.”

“Well,” Taeyang said slowly, “is there a certain type of feeling you’re trying to convey to your friend with this bouquet? Different ones will convey different things, even if the change is slight.”

You nodded, thinking about what he had said, “I want to show how much they mean to me, they’re such a wonderful friend, such a bright and cheerful person, I really treasure them. And I want to convey that I want them to have a wonderful birthday, because it’s what they deserve.”

“I see.” Taeyang looked at you thoughtfully. “After saying that out loud, do you feel more drawn to one of them?”

“I think, the special birthday one.” You were still a little unsure and it could be heard in your voice, but between the two it did feel more right to you.

In response to your decision you received a warm smile. “That’s a good choice, with the bright colors and the special birthday elements it’s one of my favorite bouquets for birthdays.”

“Why didn’t you say it was one of your favorites as you were showing them to me?” You asked him, your head tilting to the side.

“I didn’t want my opinion to influence yours,” the black-haired man admitted, “I believe that the bouquet someone picks should be the one they feel is the best for them, not the ones I like the best. Although, since you know my favorite flower it’s a little harder to be completely neutral.”

He seemed a little embarrassed to admit this, so you smiled warmly at him. “I think that’s admirable of you, thank you for letting me decide on my own. And knowing that you like it a lot makes me feel surer of my choice.”

“Oh?” He asked, his embarrassment replaced with a soft smile that was almost starting to turn into a smirk. “Does my opinion on flowers matter to you?”

“Well, yes,” you said. “Of course it does, you’re a florist after all, and you seem so passionate and knowledgeable about flowers, why wouldn’t your opinion matter to me?”

“Oh,” he said again, but softer, and not a question.

There was something about the gentle warmth in his eyes that made it hard for you to think, almost as if your thoughts were getting caught in the depths of them. Glancing down, you tried to focus back on the flowers, but it was hard with him standing there looking at you.

“Anyway,” you said, trying to find a subtle way to avoid his eyes so you could make sure to get your words out properly. “I think the birthday bouquet is the right one. I like it a lot, I like the birthday-ness of it, and you like it as well. That’s a good enough reason for me.”

“Alright then!” he nodded and started to make his way over to the cash register, the book in his hand. “When is your friend’s birthday?”

You had memorized the day long ago, your friend’s birthday something you never wanted to forget. “It’s about three weeks from now. Is that enough time? I’ve never ordered a bouquet like this before.”

“That means that you can chose the exact day you want to pick them up.” The florist beamed as he continued, “Coming in ahead of time was a really good idea, most people wait until the last minute and then get upset when we can’t get their bouquet finished in time, but three weeks is plenty of time! When do you want to pick it up?”

As soon as you told him the date he wrote it down in the shop’s order book along with your name, phone number, and the bouquet you had chosen. After that he rung up the bouquet on the register and your mission was complete.

Taeyang handed you a slip of paper. “Bring this when you come to pick up your bouquet and you’ll be all set. Call the number at the bottom if you have any questions between now and your pick up. Thank you for ordering a bouquet from Sweet Petal Florals.”

After finishing his little speech, he gave you another brilliant smile. “It was lovely picking out a bouquet with you, please come again if you ever need another bouquet or any type of flower. Also,” he added, “if you ever need shelter from the rain again, I certainly wouldn’t mind your company.”

“Oh,” you said, a little flustered. “Thank you. It was um, lovely picking out a bouquet with you too. Thanks for helping me, I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure.” His voice was low and sweet, his eyes soft and warm, and you found your cheeks starting to heat up.

You nodded, and with a smile and wave you said, “I hope you have a good rest of your day, Taeyang! Thank you again!”

As you were turning to leave you heard his reply, “The same to you, Y/N! Come again any time!”

The bell above the door tinkled and you were outside. The cool air was refreshing after getting so flustered at the end of your encounter with the handsome florist. You sighed. Talking to someone so charming was not easy on your heart. You tucked your bouquet slip into your pocket and started walking, away from the flower shop you were definitely going to visit again.

[everlarkchristmasgifts]

Something Suspiciously Like Hope

Written for Day 2 - Secret Santa Exchanges.

Unbeta’d. Rated T for language. Enjoy :)

Peeta takes the slip of paper from his pocket and stares at the name, written in her small, careful cursive. Again. As if the writing changed from the last time he read it.

Katniss Everdeen.

The gods of Random Name Drawing have a sick sense of humour, that’s for sure.

God, what if she drew his name, too? Then what would he do? He fights back a shudder — what are the odds of that happening? — and tosses the paper in a nearby bin. It’s not like he’s ever going to forget it, anyway.

He takes stock of his very limited options as he mixes up another batch of dough for the bakery’s famous Christmas shortbreads. He can’t get her anything too impersonal. That just seems… rude. Not to mention, a gigantic lie. They’ve never been friends — hell, the slip of paper with her name on it is about the entirety of their exchanges over the years — but they’ve been in the same classes since kindergarten, so that should count for something, shouldn’t it?

But on the other hand, he can’t get her anything too… not impersonal, either. Nothing that could out the feelings he’s carried around like a backpack full of bricks for over a decade. That would be… not a gigantic lie. But also, his absolute worst nightmare come true.

He should have asked to redraw his Secret Santa when he had the chance. Knowing Ms. Trinket, though, she never would have allowed it.

There’s a tiny sliver of grey area that he can work with here. What’s the happy middle between a five-dollar café gift-card and a dozen long-stemmed red roses? Is baking her a cake from scratch too heartfelt, or just the right amount of caring and not-caring?

I put together this cake just for you, but I also work in a bakery and make literally thousands of cakes just like this one in a week, so don’t feel too special.

“Why does this have to be so hard?” he mutters to himself.

“Surely not the dough, son? You could make those cookies blindfolded by now.”

Peeta jumps maybe three feet in the air. He’d almost forgotten his father was still in here, too.

“Not the dough,” he says, shaking his head.

“What, then?” his father prods.

Peeta sighs, but there’s never been any point lying. His crush on Katniss Everdeen has been his worst-kept secret since he was five and saw her for the first time, after which he declared to everyone in earshot that he would marry her someday. If Katniss ever heard, she’s been too polite to say anything.

“A Secret Santa exchange at school. I drew Katniss.”

His father goes quiet for a minute, then asks, “Why’s that so hard?”

“What do you mean, why’s that so hard?” Peeta exclaims. “What am I supposed to do?”

His father shrugs. “I guess that depends on the sort of impression you want to make.” He dusts off his flour-covered hands and crosses his arms. “Do you really want to go about your last year at school without ever having been honest with her? Could you live with that?”

“I think I could live with it,” Peeta whispers without hesitation. “But I think I’d regret it every day, too.”

His father smiles. “Then I guess that’s your answer.”

“So, what do I give her?”

The smile spreads into a grin. “Something unforgettable.”

Peeta says nothing. Just furrows his brows and turns back to his dough, rolls it out into a thin sheet.

He has an idea. More like a sapling of an idea, really. A weedy little sapling struggling to break up into the light. It’s a ridiculous idea given that they only have until the end of the week to exchange their gifts, but he thinks he can do it. He’s got everything he needs back home, so the twenty-dollar price limit isn’t going to be an issue (or does that just make him look cheap?) and what’s more… if he plays his cards right, it will be unforgettable.

Peeta finishes his shift with a smile on his face.

XXX

The canvas barely fits inside his beat-up Corolla.

Never mind ‘unforgettable’. She’ll be lucky to ever forget him after this. The guy who made her carry a massive canvas all through the halls with her. Less of a ‘something to remember me by’, and more of a gigantic ‘screw you.’

He parks in his usual spot at school and collapses against the steering wheel. He’s gotten a collective ten hours of sleep this past week working on the damn thing, recreating the woods which border District 12 in wrenching, painstaking detail, but it’s worth it. It has to be.

A fist raps against his window. Peeta jumps high enough to hit his head on the car’s felt ceiling.

“Hey! Is that it?”

Without waiting for a reply, Finnick swings to the other side and settles himself in the passenger seat. He twists towards the back and lets out a low whistle.

“Dude. It’s huge.”

“I couldn’t do it with anything smaller,” Peeta mutters.

“Sure isn’t going to be a secret now.”

Peeta shakes his head and gets out of the car. “I never said it was going to be.”

“So… you’re going for it?” Finnick jumps out and slams the door shut. “You’re actually gonna do it?”

Peeta sucks in a deep, sharply cold breath. “I think I… maybe?”

“Peeta!” Finnick punches his shoulder. “Seriously, man? That’s awesome.”

Peeta snorts. “Yeah. Two guesses how it’ll end, though.”

“You still reckon she’ll say no?”

“I just don’t see why she’d say yes.”

“You know, Annie says she’s real nice.”

“So? I’m not after a pity date, Finn. I just… I know she’ll like this. That’s all.”

“Yeah, she will. You wanna know what I got my Secret Santa? A box of sugar cubes.”

He almost laughs. “Seriously? Why?”

“Well under the twenty-buck limit, and ‘cause Clove Andersen could stand to be a whole lot sweeter, don’t you think?”

Peeta snorts. “When she decks you, and she absolutely will, don’t expect me to step in and save the day.”

“All you’d have to do is flash that smile and she’d be off me and all over you.”

“Yeah, not really the image I’m going for right now.” Peeta pulls in another deep breath, sets a hand on the car’s roof, and nods to himself. “So, you going to help me bring this thing in or what?”

XXX

His own Secret Santa gift — from Madge, mercifully, a pair of thick, silly, reindeer-print socks — had been front and centre at the top of the pile in Ms. Trinket’s room. At the end of class, he grabbed it and bolted, the tips of his ears burning as he caught Katniss out the corner of his eye, approaching her massive gift, propped up at the back and taking up damn near half the wall, with a frown on her face. He considered for all of a nanosecond staying and waiting for her to unwrap it, just to see her face when she saw it. But that same crippling self-doubt that always seemed to afflict him around Katniss squeezed at his chest and he just… couldn’t.

God, he’s such a loser.

He plops down on a damp bench right on the far edge of the school, far enough away that the chatter and laughter from everyone else is little more than a distant echo. The cold air dusting past his face brings his thoughts into more clarity. He should have seen this coming a mile off. It happens every single time. He’s never been able to string more than five words together in Katniss’ presence; why would today be any different? Combine that with a giant, what-the-fuck of a gift, and it’s a damn wonder he was able to walk through the school gates at all this morning.

The phone in his pocket vibrates with texts he’s not sure he wants to see. Probably just Finn asking how it all went. Maybe one from his dad, too. Peeta groans and fists his hair. His own damn fault for telling everybody.

“Peeta?” a soft, smoky voice whispers behind him.

He jumps about ten feet in the air and spins to face his assailant. Katniss Everdeen, her hands tucked into the pockets of her patchy coat, staring at him with eyes as grey as the storm clouds above. An omen or not, he’s not sure.

“Katniss,” he breathes.

She smiles, the barest quirk of her lips. “I wasn’t sure you knew my name. I guess… I guess that was wrong.”

His cheeks flush as he sets himself back down on the bench. “I’ve always known who you are.”

“I’m starting to get that, yeah.” She perches herself on the bench beside him, even though there’s not a whole lot of room for them to share. Even through his thick coat, the warmth Katniss radiates is enough to make him feel like his blood is boiling.

“It’s incredible,” she blurts out before he can say anything. “I mean, I knew you were good — I think you’ve got paintings hanging in every corridor in there — but that painting is… amazing, Peeta. Really.”

“I’m glad you like it,” he murmurs.

She sets a warm hand on his forearm. The contact is like lightning beneath his skin, but it anchors him, too; this moment is real. He’s not dreaming it. And it’s fucking amazing.

“I love it,” she tells him, low and deliberate. “Thank you, Peeta.”

He clears his throat. “You’re welcome.”

She lets her arm fall from his, and he misses the warmth all at once. “I kinda feel bad about what I got my Secret Santa now, though.”

“Who’d you have?” he asks.

“Delly.”

He barks out a laugh. “What did you get her?”

“A fluffy pom-pom keychain shaped like an owl. Prim picked it out. I had no idea what to get her.”

“I can tell you with absolute certainty that Delly loved it.”

She smirks. “Oh, I know she did. She jumped me right in the hallway as we were leaving and hugged me.”

Peeta smiles. “That sounds about right.”

A couple from the year below them walk by, hand-in-hand. As if by some unspoken agreement, Peeta and Katniss stay silent, their gazes trained on the ground, until the pair pass by.

When he looks up again, their faces are much closer together than they were before — or maybe they were always this close? Katniss’ cheeks are a bright, glowing pink, and she’s looking everywhere but his face.

“We should… uh, meet up, maybe?” she says, all fractured, and he thinks it fractures something in his head, too, because she cannot possibly be saying what he thinks she might be saying. “Some day during the break? I could, um… maybe show you the woods when it’s snowing, and you could paint or something? If that’s even something you wanted to see, I don’t even know if you —”

He cuts her off before she can ramble anymore, because even though it’s completely, utterly adorable, he’ll be damned if he lets her talk herself out of this now. “I’d love to come to the woods with you, Katniss,” he says, leaving no room for anything else.

“Good!” she says, a little too loudly, but Peeta’s not sure anything could beat the pounding of his heart for volume right now. She clears her throat and says, “That’s… good.”

“Yeah… good.” Damn, he’s eloquent.

“How’s Boxing Day for you?”

“Yeah… good,” he says again. Katniss lets out a tiny chuckle, one that he swears makes his heart skip a beat.

A bell goes off somewhere… the school, maybe? He’s got no way of knowing, or caring. All he gives a shit about right now is Katniss Everdeen, right in front of him, so close he could maybe kiss her if he didn’t think that would be kind of weird. Before he can move, Katniss is shouldering her bag and making her way back towards the building.

“Merry Christmas, Peeta,” she whispers, a real smile, however tiny, tipping her lips now as she walks away.

He grins what he’s sure is the dopiest, happiest grin the entire world and calls back, “Merry Christmas, Katniss.” For the first time in forever, the self-doubt doesn’t even enter his head.

In its place now is something suspiciously like hope.

[darkhymns-fic]

Out In the Cold

When visiting Dirk's house during a winter storm, both Lloyd and Colette find themselves stuck there in the meantime, unable to go back to their city apartment. But staying a few days out in the winter countryside might not be so bad.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairings: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel, Dirk, Noishe Rating: G Mirror Links: AO3 Notes: For @colloydweek Day 5: Snow. Based off a modern AU with @frayed-symphony​! 

Lloyd turned the key in the ignition over and over again, but no matter how much willpower he used, the truck just wouldn’t start.

“Man…” He laid back against the seat and sighed. The cold mist of his breath formed in the air before him, all while he watched the falling snow slowly bury the windshield. Guess they were staying over again.

“Lloyd, don’t force it.” Dirk tapped against the half-open car door with the edge of his knuckles. How his dad could walk around in sub-freezing temperatures in just his casual clothes, Lloyd had never figured out. He was garbed in basically two of his jackets himself, the interior of the truck barely giving him much warmth. “The engine’s not gonna work in this weather.”

“Gaah, but if I can just…” Lloyd reached for the key again, the truck sputtering and gurgling each and every time he turned it. “If I can just turn it on and let it warm up a little!”

“That doesn’t actually do anything, you know.”

“What? Yes it does!” Lloyd turned the key an extra time to prove his point. The truck then gave a bit of violent-sounding cough that made Lloyd jump. “Uh, never mind.”

Though a bit worried that his son would somehow break his vehicle, he only chuckled. With each passing moment, his thick beard caught more and more snowflakes, flecking it with specks of white. Even through all his frustration, Lloyd mused how his dad could pass off as Santa Claus with the right clothes and laugh. He’d look just like the guy that played as Santa when he was younger, the one who would come to the house when Genis would stay over and Raine would watch them, and when Dirk always had a last-minute commission to finish up so he couldn’t be around for the presents and… wait a second.

Dirk bellowed a laugh that also sounded really familiar suddenly, but then opened the car door wider, letting in the biting wind. “Come on, I can check on the engine. Why don’t you go to Colette in the meantime? Give her something to do on a snowy day.”

“U-um, yeah. You’re right.” Lloyd unconsciously huddled in his double jackets as he got out of the truck. He was immediately up to his lower calves in the snow, his boots saving him from his socks getting soaked. Winter out here was always brutal. His dad was, meanwhile, waist deep in it, and of course didn’t seem to be bothered.

The house was already covered in white wherever it could reach, his balcony drenched in snow, hopefully not too much that it would break. He’d have to remember not to go up there and slip again… Opening the front door with a bit of difficulty (already the lock was freezing up!), he was met with a wave of heat from the fireplace in the further living room. He was about to shrug off his jackets when he heard a happy whuff from the side.

“Noishe!” he greeted, thankful to put his freezing hands against the dog’s thick and fluffy fur. But where there was a dog, there should have been… “Uh, where’s Colette?” Last time, she had been seated at the dinner table by the fireplace.

Had she gone upstairs? Or to the other room? But then Noishe circled around him, snout pointed towards the door where Lloyd just came in through. “She’s outside?”

Whether Noishe could understand was up for debate, but he answered Lloyd with another whuff.

“Agh, but it’s so cold!” Lloyd was a little put out that he would already be leaving the warmth of the home. But if Colette had gone, he had to follow. Hopefully she hadn’t gone far… but where would she go? There was one place, maybe –

A soft buzzing in his pants pocket. Lloyd reached for his phone, the small flip model very scuffed all around its edges. Someday he’d get a new one, maybe. Opening it up, he already knew who the text was from.

Hi, Lloyd! ^_^ Sorry for leaving so suddenly… But I wanted to explore! I’m waiting for you at our favorite place!’ This was then followed by a string of heart emojis, a few stars, and some doggy paw pads, too. Lloyd was always astounded at the cuteness of her texts.

He heard a soft sound of something brewing in the kitchen next to him, a familiar smell that was comforting and already gave him ideas.

Well, at least he wouldn’t go to her empty-handed.

----

He found Colette underneath one of the tall, overarching trees, just by the path within the woods. Out before her, there was a lake, its surface frozen, reflecting the sun brighter than ever before.

It hadn’t taken long to find her, Lloyd already seeing her deep footsteps on the pathway, and a few places where the snow was disturbed the most – a sign of her tripping.

Rushing up to her, his breath coming out in puffs in the air, he saw that she had her arms spread out in the snows, looking straight above.

 “…Uh, you okay?” he called out, hoping that Colette hadn’t tripped onto the deep snowbanks here and couldn’t get up. Because if it hadn’t been for the flash of red from one of his spare jackets that she wore as he walked by, just peeking at the edge of sunken snow, he might have missed her completely.

At his words, a head streaked with snow-covered blonde hair raised up. She turned to him, her cheeks red from the cold, probably so numb – but it didn’t stem down her smile.

“I’m good!” she told him. “I was just waiting for you until we were ready to go.”

“Yeah, but… out here? It’s freezing!” And with that, he walked up to her, handing her another jacket that was identical to the one she wore, and the ones he wore, too! He owned a few copies of the same set, but that meant he had plenty to give to Colette when she wanted some. “Here, I don’t think just one is enough.”

She took the jacket gratefully, decked out with several silver buttons, the collar decorated with white strips sewn into the seam. She always looked so happy when she gave him his things to wear. “Oh yeah, and I made sure it’s clean, too!” He really had to stop giving her the ones he was just wearing…

But that wasn’t all! “Here!” he said as he handed her one of the bright red thermostats he carried, grinning. “It’s hot coffee.”

Colette took the thermostat in gloved hands, their color a bright fuzzy pink with those little pom poms stitched to the side of them. She even had a matching scarf to go with it, which Lloyd thought was pretty handy. “Thanks, Lloyd!” Though as she held it, she paused. “Hm, or is it cold?”

“Hey, I made sure it was hot this time!”

“Hehe, I’m just teasing you!” She settled on the snows, not minding at all that it covered up to her knees. “Is the truck okay?”

“Nah, the engine’s all messed up. Or the battery or… something.” Lloyd didn’t really know much about cars. “I think we’re going to have to stay for the night again.”

Colette didn’t look at all disappointed. “That happens a lot whenever we visit your dad, doesn’t it?”

“You know, it does! I wonder if he has something to do with it…” Dirk always liked having them over so maybe… but then again he doubted his dad could suddenly control the weather. “I didn’t think the snow would be this bad though. Sorry.”

She shook her head. “That’s okay! It’s… I like the winter here. In the city, the snow always gets all dirty with the cars. And then they clean it up the next day before you can do anything in it.” She said this while putting on the second jacket, brushing out the snow from her hair.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “What were you doing just now anyway?”

Unfastening the top of the thermostat, Colette took a careful sip of the coffee. She closed her eyes as she did so, and then lowered the thermostat from her chin to look at Lloyd with a wide smile. “Making a snow angel!”

That was the cutest thing he ever heard. He could only grin and laugh, the cold suddenly seeming not so much of a problem anymore. “You’re such a dork.”

By then, he was seated next to her on the snowbanks, overlooking the lake with its frozen sheen. They were close enough for their shoulders to touch, eager to get any warmth they could. “Did Noishe not want to come?” Colette asked.

“Nah, he’s scared of the cold. Don’t ask me how though.” Lloyd took a sip from his own thermostat, pleased to know that the coffee was actually hot! He had worried for a moment there. “Hey, how come you went out all the way here?” It wasn’t a long walk, but with the heavy snow that blanketed both sight and sound, the path wasn’t the easiest to tread anymore.

Colette fiddled with one of the jacket buttons on the side, it still being so big on her, draping her shoulders like a cape, but enough to keep her warm. “I wanted to see if we could swim in the lake again,” she said with a shy smile.

“Wh- But it’s freezing!” He felt like he said this before. “And, also, the lake is actually frozen.”

“Yeah, and it’s so pretty looking too. Maybe we can ice skate on it!”

“I think the ice is kinda fragile…”

Colette looked down at her huddled knees. Both had really gotten close to the other, the snowflakes still drifting over them. Lloyd felt them on his cheeks, on his hand that had reached out for Colette’s, feeling her warmth even through their gloved hands - her yarn-stitched mittens against his thick sports gloves.

“It’s like our special place now, isn’t it?” she said. “We’ve come over here every time we visited.”

Lloyd gripped her hand tight, remembering the first day out in the early summer sun, Noishe paddling in the lake and getting their clothes wet with a furious shaking out of his fur. “Yeah… I like it better though when it’s sunny.”

Colette pouted a little. “The snow is nice… We can do other fun things that we can’t do back home!”

“Huh? Like what?” Living out in their city apartment, he supposed it wasn’t easy to have the usual snow fun like snowball fights and snow angels. Maybe that was what she wanted? “If you wanted to play snowball, just know I’m the best at it!”

But before he could keep gloating, she leaned into him for a kiss.

The tip of her nose brushed against his own as she kissed him, cold from the chilly air. It contrasted with the heat of her lips over his, a hint of her breath leaving into the air in the form of already dissipating mist. He kissed her back just as much, the action natural, right and so very warm. There wasn’t much sound from the woods, the snow muffling most of it, but he could hear the soft gasp she gave when she kissed him, and the pulse of his own heart in his ears.

When she pulled away, Lloyd stared at her with a bit of confusion. “…Can’t we do that anytime?” he asked. Not that he didn’t mind it…

“Hm, maybe,” she said, but then her smile turned into a grin. “But not this!” Suddenly an avalanche of snow from Colette’s hands showered onto the top of his head. She must have gathered that up during the kiss.

“C-c-cold!” He flinched from the sudden chill, where bits of the compacted snow slid into the back of his jacket. Colette laughed at his ordeal, which only sparked a competitiveness that overtook him suddenly. “I have to pay you back, you know!” And with maybe too much enthusiasm, he gently tackled her to the soft snows, getting it everywhere on them. Both thermostats were thrown to the ground, the coffee now indeed, getting quite cold.

“Ah! Lloyd!” she protested, but had already wrapped her arms around him as they embraced in the snow.

One day, they’d get to curl up together on the couch back at their apartment, draped in multiple blankets and sipping hot chocolate. But Colette was right though, they probably wouldn’t be able to do these fun things except for right here, so they might as well make the most of it.